Minecraft: A Tale of Worlds
by LeTantris
Summary: A story about a young man who will set out to discover his role. Meeting with different people and gaining several companions, he will soon find himself as a piece in a much larger scheme. A story with various cameos and references. Now including mods!
1. Chapter 1: A village in ruins

Chapter 1: A village in ruins

_A village in the outskirts of the Ender ruins, Age 103_

It was a nice peaceful day in the village of Mooshville. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, the birds were singing with their sweet melodic voices, the mooshrooms were peacefully grazing in the open field, wild horses were playfully chasing each other around, colorful creepers were rampaging on the streets, and the air was filled with a peaceful feeling. Everything seems well… _Wait… Colorful creepers rampaging on the streets?_

"You've got to be kidding me!" said the young boy around the age of 14, who was observing the peaceful environment until he saw the strange mobs loitering around the streets. He had one thought occurring in his mind right now: _Mod!_

The young boy quickly ran towards the village while narrowly evading the strange Creepers that seemed to follow him. His heavy footsteps dragged on towards the far side of the village while he looked on as the strangely-colored mobs caused utter terror throughout his hometown. After what seemed like an eternity of running, he finally came across what looked like a hut that was ravaged by an army of Ghasts. He found an old man lying face down on the ground.

"Mod!" the young boy cried out as he ran towards the old man. However, he failed to notice what appeared to be a white creeper sneaking up behind him.

"SSSssss!" went the creeper. The boy turned around to see the bulging creature nearing its detonation. Without thinking, the boy threw himself onto the creeper as it exploded, sending a wave of snow over the boy and the old man.

_ It got cold all of a sudden! Am I dead? _The boy thought. He opened his eyes to find himself lying on the snow-covered ground. He got up and glanced around. _Is this the Aether?_

Suddenly, he heard a gasp behind him and turned around to find the old man crouching and shivering. "Mod!" yelled the boy, forgetting about his dilemma.

Mod looked up to find the young boy on the verge of tears. He stood upright and walked towards the boy. He then pulled him into what appeared to be an awkward hug.

"Is that you, Zeph?" asked the old man. The young boy nodded. Mod then released the boy from his grasp and took a glance around.

"I don't think the Elder Council would like this. Not at all!" said Mod, his face set in a tight grimace as he scanned his destroyed surroundings. Zeph felt a wave of relief before the rush of utter horror as he looked on towards what used to be his hometown.

The village was a mess. A few houses were literally turned upside down. The library oozed lava from its windows while the librarian looked on in shock. The tavern was flooded on the outside and a huge pile of dirt sticking out of its side. The Council Hall had a dome of glowstone surrounding it. Numerous citizens were either stuck on precarious spots on the rooftops or clearing off the snow that fell on the crops. The only living things that didn't seem fazed by this were the Mooshrooms that continued to graze on the snow-covered field.

"This is not looking good at all!" said Mod, clutching his beard in a strange fashion.

"What's gonna happen to us now, old man?" asked Zeph, taking in the horrid view.

"I don't know. But whatever it is, it can't be good"

-0(-_-)0-

**A/N: So yeah…. This is my first Minecraftian work! I picked a random name for my main character so if you've got complains, suggestions, comments, violent reactions, etc… then feel free to review this chapter! And I've been thinking about having various characters in this story but unfortunately, my brain's gone gassy… if you know what I mean… So if you feel that you want to be part of my story, just send me an email at coldwolf1400 and tell me your character's name, a little bit about them, and why you want him/her to be part of it. Chosen characters will be posted as the story continues.**


	2. Chapter 2: Exiled

Chapter 2: Exiled

_Tripview City, south of Mooshville_

"I want you to cancel all my meetings for today. I'll be visiting Mooshville to see the Village Elders. And make sure to have the carriage ready for the trip," instructed a man wearing a suit.

"Yes sir!" replied his servant.

As the young man closed the door, the suited man took a short glance and opened a drawer from his wooden table. Pulling out what appeared to be a lighter constructed from flint and diamond, he began to flick it, causing blue flames to spark. Smiling to himself, he placed it in his pocket and turned towards the large window in his office. He looked on at the city as its citizens prepared to greet him before his departure. Guards stood in a line and kept the citizens at bay. He then smirked at the sight of the marching parades.

"Heh… Today's going to be a good day! I can feel it in these old bones," said the man.

-0(-_-)0-

_Mooshville_

"Mod Quiverload, we hereby sentence you and your grandson to permanent exile for the destruction of the village and the injury of the majority of its inhabitants. By the order of the Elder Council, we ask that you leave this village immediately and never set foot on this land ever again. Do I make myself clear?" said Wheatcane, the oldest member of the Elder Council.

"Yes sir," replied Mod, his face remained expressionless while Zeph struggled to hold back his tears.

"Meeting adjourned!" said Rodfield, the acting judge of the Elder Council.

As people began to file out of the room, Mod stood motionless. Never had it been his intention to have his experiments destroy the village. However, due to a slight miscalculation in his part, the creatures broke off their restraints and escaped, destroying the lab in the process. In the back corner of the court, Zeph had his head down as he began to cry. The girl sitting beside him did her best to console him but he paid no attention to her.

"I'm really sorry for your loss but there's nothing I can do. I've never felt this hopeless since the day I lost my brother," said the girl. She soon joined Zeph in his grief and cried.

-0(-_-)0-

As Wheatcane looked on at the destroyed buildings, his usually calm emotions changed into that of deep regret. Mod had been a good friend to him since they were young but now, he would disappear forever. As much as it pained him, he followed the decisions of the Elder Council and at that moment, he realized that he had been a bad friend to Mod. _If only I could do something, then I would help my dear friend, _he thought to himself.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden sound of the bells ringing. He turned towards the bell's direction and found a carriage fast approaching the village gates. He then hurriedly ran towards the gate where a messenger awaited him.

"Please state your business," said Wheatcane to the messenger.

"My master, the Mayor of Tripview, will be arriving soon and he wishes to speak to the Elder Council," said the messenger.

"Yes, of course! Tell your master that we shall be expecting him," said Wheatcane. He then turned to one of the village guards and said, "Inform the council of this meeting and tell them to report to the Council Hall."

"Yes sir!" replied the guard. The guard dashed off towards the village center while Wheatcane looked on.

-0(-_-)0-

"Are you sure you're okay now?" asked the girl.

"I think I am, though I will definitely miss this village," replied Zeph.

"I hope that you won't forget me!" said the girl.

"I'll never forget you, Eve!" replied Zeph. They gave each other one last hug before he grabbed his stone tools and inventory and left his beloved hometown. Taking one last glance behind, he waved to Eve and tearfully left Mooshville.

-0(-_-)0-

"I take it that you're here for the deal?" asked Rodfield.

"I am. But before that, I would like to add that we would cover all the damage in your village if you would just sign the contract," said the mayor, his lighter poking out of his pockets before he pushed it back in.

"We have already decided on this before you arrived," said Wheatcane. "And we decided to sign the contract."

"Very well," replied the mayor, his eyes gleaming with glee. He then handed them a single sheet of paper with the deal inscribed into it. "If you could just sign here," said the mayor, pointing at a blank on the paper. Wheatcane then brought out what appeared to be a feather and an ink sac. Dipping the feather's pointed tip once, he signed the paper.

"Excellent!" replied the mayor, retrieving the sheet of paper. "Your village is now a part of Tripview City. Feel free to visit anytime."

"Thank you very much, Mayor Edivon!"

-0(-_-)0-

**A/N: This chapter was awfully sad compared to the previous chapter. Almost made me cry there! But anyways, I decided to post the first two chapters of this story so feel free to review it! After all, criticism helps a person improve… Though I would advise not to use any foul language! Thank you!**

**P.S. I'll be waiting for anyone who wants to be part of the story. (the email is coldwolf1400 )**


	3. Chapter 3: Woman Overboard

__Chapter 3: Woman Overboard

_The Continent of Mycelia, Age 108_

"I'll be right back, gramps! I'll just be fishing by the lake area!" yelled Zeph, who was starting to get impatient with his grandfather. It had been five years since the exile and after many months of travelling, they had both stumbled upon the mushroom continent and decided to settle there.

Mod was still an inventor despite his old age and he still continued to seek knowledge. However, his failing senses were slowly getting worse by the day and with each passing day, his movements were becoming more labored than ever. Zeph, on the other hand, had grown up to be a strong young man. He was constantly doing all the chores while Mod invented new uses for redstone and other renewable sources. Occasionally, Zeph would climb the huge mushroom that stood next to their home and he would make paintings of Eve as he still continues to keep his promise.

"Don't take too long! We might be expecting some rain and you know how the rain is in these parts!" said Mod. Zeph rolled his eyes before opening the door and slamming it shut. He then headed towards the storage shack behind their home and pulled out his fishing rod from a chest in the far corner of the shack. He also took a few stacks of wood and made them into planks. He then walked towards another chest and pulled out a portable furnace. Satisfied with the contents of his backpack, he began his trek towards the lake.

After ten minutes, Zeph had finally reached the dock. He then made his way towards a crafting table nearby and began to craft a boat. He then added the furnace in the center of the boat and wiped his sweat off his forehead.

"There we go!" he said. He then took his newly-crafted motor boat and placed it on the lakeshore. "Now let's go fishing!"

-0(-_-)0-

Meanwhile, on the waters nearby, a ship was slowly making its way across the sea. Its masts seemed to be tattered and its figurehead appeared to be a humanoid being with an eagle for a head. Its occupants were mostly made up of poor men and women who labored on the ship while zombie pigmen watched. Cannons lined up in each side with enslaved men manning each one.

Suddenly, one of the laboring men on the deck tripped and fell. Gasps and murmurs could be heard as two zombie pigmen approached the fallen man. One of the pigmen then brandished a whip and struck the man's back repeatedly while the other pigman pounded at him with its hoofs. A few women tried to look away and continue their work as screams of agony could be heard.

At the captain's quarters, a hooded figure watched the scene through the window. His lips parted into a small grin as the man's dying screams finally faded into silence. He then turned around to face what appeared to be a figure shrouded in the darkness.

"It seems that these feeble humans are pretty useless after all! Should we get ourselves better slaves?" asked the hooded figure.

The figure in the darkness then got up and stepped onto the lighted area of the room, revealing a figure clad in dark garments. A black sword was strapped to his waist while a dark helmet covered the figure's face, blocking his face. The figure then exited the room together with the hooded man. All of the laboring humans stopped their working and stood transfixed at the dark figure as he began to walk towards the fallen man.

"Who asked you all to stop working? Get back to work!" barked the hooded man. All of the humans then began to scramble to their workplaces, either maintaining the ship's mast or wiping the ship's floor clean.

The dark figure suddenly grabbed the dead man with one hand and in one swift motion, threw the man over the ship. The man's corpse plunged onto the cold ocean and sank to the ocean floor. The dark figure then turned back and headed back to his room along with the hooded man.

However, just as the dark figure twisted the room's doorknob, one of the women pulled out a throwing knife and flung it towards the dark figure. She then leapt onto the air and flung a second knife. Before the knives could reach their target however, the hooded man brandished a dark sword and deflected the two knives. The sword bared an Eye of Ender on its blade and had a dark aura swirling about it.

"My, my! You seem eager to join your friend in the Nether! Only those foolish enough would dare to challenge the master and live to tell the tale! I commend you on your bravery but I believe that you've served your purpose, you traitorous wench!" said the hooded man before disintegrating into purple particles. As the young woman tried to look around for the hooded man, she failed to notice the figure that was reintegrating behind her.

"You never did have a chance to begin with! I think I'll spare you the grisly details and just leave you to your fate!" said the hooded man, fully reintegrated. The young woman turned around and faced the hooded man, only to meet a blow to her head. Grabbing the lady by her collar, the hooded man threw the woman over the ship and smiled upon hearing the sound of a body hitting the water.

"This will be the fate of those who betray the master!" said the hooded man, addressing the other humans who looked dumbstruck and overwhelmed with fear. "Now then! Who's next?"

-0(-_-)0-

Meanwhile, after hours of sitting on the boat fishing, Zeph had managed to pull his final catch, making him have enough fishes to feed them for weeks. Smiling to himself, he then took out a loaf of bread. However, just as he was about to take a bite, he heard the sound of splashing and turned around to find a lady thrashing about. Realizing that she was drowning, he quickly jumped over the boat and dove onto the water.

After a few seconds, he came out of the water along with the lady. They then made their way towards the boat which Zeph then maneuvered towards the dock. Upon reaching the dock, he carried her on his back while making his way back to his home. As he walked along the cobblestone path that he had constructed, the lady lifted her head and found her surroundings in motion. She then tried to see the face of her savior before collapsing. Unfazed by this, Zeph continued along the path until he reached the Quiverload Residence, where he gently laid her on his bed. He then took his loaf of bread and left it on a plate on the table by the bed. He then let out a sigh of relief before leaving the room, closing the door shut behind him.

-0(-_-)0-

**A/N: Who is this lady that Zeph just saved? Why was she found thrashing about in the middle of the ocean? Is she the same lady that was dumped off the ghastly ship? These questions shall be answered in the next chapter. By the way, I'd like to thank toonash667 for being the first to review my work. Just stay tuned for more!**


	4. Chapter 4: A Battle at Wartstool Mine

Chapter 4: A Battle at Wartstool Mine

_Quiverload Residence, continent of Mycelia_

"Ugh…" groaned the young woman as she opened her eyes. She then saw a blurry figure of an old man. She then sighed and went back to sleep, only to jolt wide awake after realizing that she wasn't in the ship anymore.

The old man smiled, his wrinkled features seemed to relax. "Ah! So you're awake now! Glad to see you're alright, Eve!" said Mod.

Eve then quickly got up, only to lie back down upon realizing that she was feeling awfully dizzy. The old man gestured for her to remain still as he placed a hand on her forehead, as though to check on her temperature.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"You're in the continent of Mycelia. You're quite far from Mooshville if I'd say so myself!" replied the old man. He then took the loaf of bread that had been left by Zeph for her and he broke it down in half. He then gave it to her and she accepted it.

"Thank you. Although I shouldn't really be asking but who are you?" asked Eve as she bit onto the bread. She felt herself slowly being restored.

The old man looked at her incredulously. Clearing his throat, he replied, "Don't you remember me? I'm Mod!"

Eve began to think for awhile before remembering his name and she finally apologized. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to forget about you! And more importantly, thank you for saving my life!" said the young woman.

"Oh? It shouldn't be me that you should be thanking!" said the old man, who then lifted his gaze onto the window behind her. "It should be Zeph that you should be thanking!"

"Zeph? Oh!" she said. "Where is he by the way?"

"Ah yes! He went to the village to work!" he said.

"Oh… When will he be back?" she asked.

"If I know my grandson very well, he should be back tonight." Mod replied. Heading for the door, he turned around and faced Eve. "Would like some mushroom soup?"

-0(-_-)0-

Meanwhile, in the village of Wartstool, where its villagers lived in harmony and understanding towards one another, Zeph was walking towards a crowded notice board. He gently pushed his way into the crowd until he was able to take a look at the signs posted there. There were about fifty signs on the board. However, one of them caught his eye. He then snatched it and checked it out. It read: "Mob trouble in the mine. Need help in eliminating them and any spawners close by. Reward is 20 gold ingots."

Zeph could see why this sign didn't seem to be favored by any of the villagers as Wartstool Village was known to be able to destroy any mobs that dared to lay siege to the village. Its walls that are said to be made from bricks found in the Nether and its weapons famed to be very unique as they couldn't be found in any other place, plus the fact that its villagers are able to fight even the most gruesome of all battles, made this task seem too small to their likings. What caught Zeph's eye was the fact that they were willing to offer 20 ingots of gold as a price, which seemed a bit too much on his opinion.

Zeph then headed towards the village's guild to sign the contract that allowed him to partake in this quest. Along the way, he bought himself a new iron sword and an extra iron pickaxe. As he stepped onto the guild's brick floor, he couldn't help but feel excited about his new quest. He walked towards the counter, where his friend Ash stood behind, waiting for any adventurers. He placed the sign in front of Ash, who then surveyed the task.

"A level one task, eh? What made you think of doing such a thing?" asked Ash, who was busy scratching his beard.

"Nothing much! Just felt that it was good training," replied Zeph.

"I see…" said Ash, who then stamped him a sign of approval. "Go forth and gain more experiences, my young friend!" said the bearded man, who handed him the letter.

Zeph then departed the guild, and began walking on the pathway towards the mine. Ash then got up from his seat and headed for the guild's entrance. Watching his friend walking on the horizon, he smirked. _Good training, eh? Well then, I bid you luck!_

-0(-_-)0-

As Zeph neared the entrance, he found a miner lying face down. He rushed to the man and checked his pulse, only to realize that it was too late to save the man. He then continued on to the deeper part of the mine. As he walked on, he began seeing a multitude of corpses strewn everywhere. He stopped at a part of the mine where a spawner sat. Before he could properly secure the spawner, one of the corpses slowly began to rise. Drawing his iron sword, Zeph prepared for combat.

Suddenly, a horde of zombies began to rush at him from all directions. He then slashed his way through all of them as he began to seek a more open area to continue the fight. One zombie leapt at him but he decapitated it and kicked it back to its companions, who then greedily devoured its headless body. Another zombie lunged at him from behind but he managed to slice it cleanly in half, letting its contents spill onto the floor. He then whirled around and stabbed another zombie through its skull. More zombies continued to rush at him but he greeted them with slashes to their heads. Taking a short glance around, he realized that he was slowly backing into a wall. He then began to panic and seeing no end to the mobs, he decided to take a chance and he began to slash at the mobs with a fury that seemed to increase with each strike of the sword. The mobs' numbers slowly began to dwindle and with each slash, Zeph moved on closer to the source of the problem: the zombie spawner that sat undisturbed. With one final hack, the last zombie fell onto the cold stone floor. He then proceeded to break the spawner. After doing so, he took a breath of relief.

Suddenly, the left wall slowly began to lower itself to the ground. On the other side of the wall, redstone lamps began to light up and note blocks began to play their tunes. There were numerous bookshelves by the far side of the room with stacks of paper lying scattered on the floor. Zeph was mesmerized by the sight in front of him and he began to move towards the room.

As he continued to walk towards the room, he failed to notice the large creature that seemed to watch him on the wall. In just a blink of an eye, the large creature detached itself from the wall and began to crawl towards Zeph, its gray fur swaying in a mysterious way, as though a breeze was blowing onto it. Its eyes had a greedy gleam about it and its legs shone like as though it was made of metal. Intent on reaching its target, the huge silverfish crawled with its might, its huge teeth showing itself.

-0(-_-)0-

**A/N: So yeah! Another chapter has finished itself! I definitely have so much time in my hands… And I just discovered something… I could just ask people to PM me if they want to be part of my story! (I'm such a noob….) Anyways, what do you think will happen to Zeph? Why was Eve in the ghastly ship in the first place? All these questions and more may be revealed in the next chapter… So stay tuned and ignore that note in the first two chapters about sending comments and stuff to my email… Just PM me instead! See ya!**


	5. Chapter 5: The Mark of Balkon

Chapter 5: The Mark of Balkon

_Wartstool Village_

Back in the village, the villagers were carrying on with their businesses. The blacksmith was busy polishing his newly-crafted diamond battleaxe, which was one of the weapons that had recipes only known by the blacksmith's family and these recipes were kept a secret. Not even any royalties would dare to force it out of them as they were known to fight with a wide arsenal of powerful weapons at their disposal. In the forest area nearby, the woodcutter was humming a tune to himself while chopping the pine tree in front of him. With one last swing of the axe, the tree's wood came off, which he then took and brought to a shack beside the forgery. At the dock area, a lone fisherman napped as he waited for the fish to take a bite. His straw hat shielded his face from the intense heat and after stifling a yawn, he noticed his bobber moving and with one single pull of the rod, the fish came leaping off the water and into his hands, which he then placed inside the chest behind him. Inside the guild hall, Ash was busy reading a book that was titled "Understanding Enchantments". He took a glance at the clock on the wall and seeing that it was nearing the end of his shift, he tucked the book inside his backpack and began to clean up his workplace.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake, forcing the villagers to seek a cover for their heads. Ash took his place under his desk and while he silently began to count, he heard a loud roar coming from the mine. Forgetting his own safety, he crawled out of his cover and exited the guild hall. Noticing a crowd gathering in the village center despite the continuing earthquake, he began to move on closer towards the mine. _Whatever's in there must be causing the earthquake! _ _I hope Zeph's okay…_

-0(-_-)0-

At that exact moment, Zeph was dodging around as the creature lunged at him from all directions. Its huge body crushed the walls that it slammed into and with that amount of force, Zeph knew that it would be fatal if he were to get hit by the huge menace. Running out of options and fearing that the creature may eventually corner him, he decided to switch to the offense. Taking his sword, he whirled around to face the creature.

The creature seemed to have an infinite source of energy as it continued to charge towards him. As soon as the opportunity showed itself, Zeph leapt onto the air and as the creature turned around, he struck its eye with a quick stab of the sword. The creature roared with pain as Zeph landed on the ground and made a dash for the creature's legs. He slashed at the creature's hind leg but had his blade bounce off in recoil. He attempted to slash at its legs again but was met with a kick to his stomach. He was sent flying towards the wall, making cracks on its surface. As he slumped onto the ground, he felt something wet dripping from the back of his head. He touched the wet area and found his own blood. Groaning loudly, he struggled to stand up as the huge silverfish bounded for him once more. Preparing himself for one last stand, he placed his cracked sword into a blocking position.

Just as the silverfish was about to crush him, something slammed onto it, knocking it off into another direction. As the creature slid across the ground and struggled to get itself back up, something cut onto its back, spilling the creature's blood all over the place. The creature cried in agony as a metallic ball slammed onto its remaining eye, blinding the creature permanently. With one last defiant motion, the creature blindly leapt towards its attackers but was cleaved in half. The silverfish's corpse slowly began to disintegrate as its attackers began to walk towards Zeph. Looking at his saviors, he began to recognize them as the common workers in the village: Boris the blacksmith, who was already cleaning off his diamond war hammer, Jacque the woodcutter, who twirled his diamond battle axe, Pierre the fisherman, who tucked his flail on his belt, and surprisingly, Ash himself, who held his diamond halberd in a threatening way. Ash then approached Zeph and began to examine his wounds. Then, pulling out a bandage, he placed it on Zeph's wound behind his head.

"What happened here, Zeph? Why did that creature just attack you?" he asked. However, he was rebuked by Boris.

"Ask him those questions later, Ashton! We have to get him to the doctor first!" yelled the balding man.

"Yes, of course," replied Ash, who then helped Zeph toward the exit, (or rather), the entrance of the mine.

Upon reaching the doctor, Ash noticed that Zeph's grandfather was already waiting there. Standing beside him was a girl that he did not recognize. Her face showed concern upon setting her eyes on Zeph's battered body. As Zeph was laid down on a nearby bed, the doctor arrived to treat his wounds. He was then given a strange liquid which made him feel drowsy. Just before his eyes shut themselves, he noticed the tattoo on the back of Ash's neck. It was an image of a golden war hammer, the very symbol of the legendary warrior Balkon!

-0(-_-)0-

At that very same time, on the beach area of a nearby continent, a familiar ghastly ship has anchored itself. Its crew was slowly disembarking the ship while two familiar figures watched over them.

"I believe it's time we paid him a visit," said the hooded man, who seemed to stare off into the distance.

Suddenly, something bellowed in the very direction that the hooded man was staring at. The creature then smacked a nearby jungle tree and sent it toppling onto the ground. With one final hiss, it slithered off into the unknown, leaving huge tracks and a trail of destruction in its wake.

-0(-_-)0-

**A/N: Another chapter is finally finished and it introduces several more characters to the story plus a new terrifying creature! What may this creature be? What will happen to Zeph? Will I ever reveal the happenings of Eve's life for the past five years? All these questions and more will be answered in the next chapter! (Maybe not… Hmm…) and also, to Toonash667, I believe he has already been in the story since the last chapter! So yeah… See ya!**


	6. Interlude 1: The Legend of the Hero

Interlude: The Legend of the Hero

_Long ago, before Minecraftia was split into its various cities and villages, it had been a plain, old land with various villages scattered about with villagers that seemed to lack intellect living in them. The more advanced Minecrafters lived in various parts of the wilderness, where they built various contraptions like temples to the gods of Minecraftia, like Notch and Jeb, or beacons of light, to guide them into the night. All seemed well until a grave threat rose from the depths of the abyss. A new enemy sprouted from the deepest parts of the Nether and created a portal to the Overworld, where he unleashed a reign of terror on its denizens. This threat would soon be known to the Overworld as Anu._

_ Seeing the chaos sprouting in every corner of the world, the goddess queen, Ez, paid a visit to a lone Minecraftian, whom she then gifted a sword. This sword was capable of matching Anu in combat. It was also capable of returning to its wielder, unless it is made to stay in a certain position by the user himself. Ez then instructed the Minecraftian with a few tasks: to gather Minecraftians from all over the realms and to unite them in a battle against the threat, Anu, and his evil creations. Upon finishing with her instructions, she left the unnamed man to do her bidding while she watched with the other gods of Minecraftia._

_ Soon, the unnamed Hero had gathered all of the Minecraftians from all of the realms and he led them all into battle. For days and nights, the Minecraftians fought the mobs sent by Anu to destroy them and with each battle fought, they were slowly gaining their victory. Upon realizing this, he began to create new mobs to do his bidding. These mobs were different from the ordinary mobs as they were given extraordinary powers that would give them an advantage over the denizens of Minecraftia. Satisfied with his work, he unleashed his creations into the Overworld._

_ In a matter of weeks, the Minecraftians were slowly losing the battle and were being forced into retreat by the new threats. Soon, many of them had begun to abandon hope and they began to pray for a miracle. The unnamed Hero would continue the battles regardless, though he too was coming close to exhaustion. Seeing all this happening from their thrones in the Aether, the gods of Minecraftia decided to send six more weapons to the Overworld._

_ The first weapon was a war hammer, which was sent by Notch himself. This weapon was capable of devastating the ground that it had struck and those standing on or near it. It could also be thrown, discharging lightning on those it hits. This weapon was to be given to the warrior who would soon be known as Balkon._

_ The second weapon was a javelin. This javelin had a special property as it would return to its wielder the moment it is fired. It would also create thunder, which would strike those that have been run through by the javelin itself when it is thrown. This would be gifted to the young miner who would be known as Flammarilva._

_ The third weapon was a quiver that was filled with a variety of arrows. These arrows possessed certain properties that aren't normally done by arrows. The quiver itself was able to refill its contents almost instantly, giving the user an unlimited supply of these arrows. This would be given to the hunter who would be known as Risugami._

_ The fourth weapon was a strange powder that was accompanied by a recipe booklet. The recipe booklet informs its user of various staffs that can be made with it. Both of the items were given to the mage who would be known as Morgeh._

_ The fifth weapon was a scythe of darkness. It would tend its wielder's wounds upon hitting a mob. However, it would easily break itself and in order to repair it, its user must donate a pinch of his blood. This dangerous weapon, the Midnight Scythe, was given to the alchemist named Sthullen, who was given the nickname, the Grim Reaper, for his daring potions._

_ The sixth and final weapon, a magical ring, granted its user a series of buffs that may have either a positive or a negative effect whenever used. The ring itself may split itself into six forms, each with their own unique powers. This was given to the man referred to as The Ringmaster, Fissll._

_ With all these weapons given to their respective wielders, the battle became more even. For days, the battle was fought with each side growing more energized. This even match between good and evil happened until Anu had grown tired of watching the battle from the sidelines. He then entered the battlefield, decimating thousands of soldiers, both friend and foe. Pretty soon, the time came for the seven warriors to meet with the evil warlock himself._

_ The battle took place in Anu's fortress, which had been fortified by a bunch of materials not commonly found in the Overworld. The battle lasted for hours as the seven relentlessly unleashed their attacks towards the warlock. Balkon smashed his hammer to the ground, sending Overworld-shattering waves towards Anu but he quickly deflected it with his barrier. Risugami rained his arrows down onto the warlock, creating a barrage of explosions and lightning while doing so. Anu brushed them aside like it was nothing and rained down fire towards him. Just as the flames were about to strike her, a barrier of energy enveloped him, created from Morgeh's lightning staff. Flammarilva then shot at the warlock with her ancient javelin, sending bolts of lightning raining down onto him. Fissll then began to unleash a barrage of slashes from his scythe, his blood continuously flowing from a cut on his wrist onto the scythe, feeding it an unlimited amount of durability. He then took a swig of his potion and watched as the unnamed Hero charged his blade and sent a full-powered strike onto the menace. Seeing that he was slowly losing the battle, Anu began to create clones of him to fight the seven. Realizing that they were fighting seven exact clones of the dreaded warlock, they began to lose hope. The unnamed Hero mouthed one last prayed to Ez as he stood his guard._

_ Suddenly, the unnamed Hero was enveloped in a blinding flash of light and as Anu and his clones tried to shield their eyes from the blinding light, Anu failed to notice that a portal was being formed beneath him and his clones were slowly fading off one at a time. When he finally realized what was happening, it was already too late as he was sucked by the portal and trapped inside the deepest pit of the Nether. His prison was made of reinforced bedrock and the portal that sent him there failed to function, meaning that the portal was broken, trapping him forever._

_ Meanwhile, the light had faded and only six of the warriors were left. Anu was nowhere to be seen and neither was their friend. In his place stood his sword, which had become degraded and plain. Realizing their friend's sacrifice, the remaining six crafted a statue of the Hero in the exact same spot where the sword stood, leaving the blade untouched. He would soon be remembered as the stuff of legends and thus, Minecraftia was in peace once more. Or so they thought._

_ One week later, one of the warriors, Balkon, had a strange dream. He dreamt of a world where the chaos started all over again and at that time, a new Hero stood where his friend once stood. Realizing that he had just glimpsed the future, he declared for the Minecraftians to be prepared for the future war. He himself created a group that would be trained to assist the new Hero when the war happens._

_ After eighty-nine years, a baby was born. His name was…_

-0(-_-)0-

**A/N: And that concludes the first of many interludes to come! If this interlude seemed unclear, please give me any reviews, tips, etc… so that I may know what might need to improve for the next legend. The cliffhanger ending will be unveiled soon… Or if you guys managed to find out, then that would be better but please don't spoil it! The story shall resume itself after a few days!**


	7. Chapter 6: Five Years

Chapter 6: Five Years

_Wartstool Village_

"Zeph?" mumbled Eve in her sleep as she slept on Zeph's bed. The doctor had insisted that he should stay for one more night. Although she was worried about him, she couldn't do anything about it as his health was beyond her control.

Instead, she decided to get back to the Quiverload Residence to take a rest. As she slept on, she began to dream about the events after the Quiverload's exile.

-0(-_-)0-

_Mooshville, Age 104_

_It had already been a year since Zeph's departure and Eve was missing him so badly. Every night, she dreamt that he would return to the village. She would then dream that he would hold her close to him. However, the dreams ended the same way each night: Zeph would fade away, leaving her with tear-filled eyes in a rainy atmosphere. She would wake up with a jolt, sweat-drenched and teary-eyed. She would then look out into the window, staring at the calm night with the mooshrooms snoring peacefully nearby._

_ This all changed one faithful day when Mayor Edivon rode unto the village, his faithful army having been reduced to a mere handful. He looked weary from the journey and his soldiers looked like they had battled against an army. He had immediately asked for Wheatcane, who came rushing out of his hut upon seeing the current state of the mayor. The villagers stopped what they were doing and began to listen to what the mayor has to say._

_ 'The village has to be evacuated immediately! We can't afford to waste any more time!' the mayor had said, his face seemed to be terror-stricken. Wheatcane was expressionless however as he gestured for his friend to relax but the mayor brushed off his friendly gesture with a warning, 'They're coming! They won't stop until they have enslaved us whole!'_

_ 'And what do you propose that we do? Just leave everything that we've worked so long for to run away from some troublemakers?' barked Rodfield, who emerged from a tavern nearby. 'I don't think I'll leave it like that! I'm sure the village agrees with this decision!' he yelled out while gesturing to the villagers who looked determined. 'We shall face this threat, whoever they may be!'_

_ 'Notch's beard! Have you lost your mind now, Rodfield? I had an army out there in the city! Do you know how many of us made it out alive? Do you know how many people died in my city after those bastards rampaged into my city and slaughtered all of my people?' yelled the mayor, his eyes filled with tears. 'You can't take them on! You might as well leave while you still can! They've got a powerful advantage on their side!'_

_ 'And which city does this army belong lo? The one that destroyed your city?' asked Rodfield, his voice seemed to challenge the mayor to say something otherwise._

_ 'Their army is not of this world! They've got modified mobs as soldiers! Their leader is capable of performing supernatural deeds!' yelled Mayor Edivon, who began to try to catch his breath. The villagers began to doubt Rodfield, who looked at them all with a glare._

_ 'Fine then! You can all go for all I care! But I'll stay and fight for my village!' barked the elder, who then stomped off towards his hut. The villagers began to rush back to their homes to pack their belongings. After watching all this unfold, Eve left to head for her home, where her mother and her sister were busy packing. The dishes were scattered everywhere while ashes seemed to cover the floor. She then ran towards her room, where she took out a backpack made by Mod and began to place objects inside of it. One of the objects was a metal locket of a bird._

-0(-_-)0-

_Coalore Cave, Age 106_

_ Eve could not believe what had just happened. After two years of running and hiding, the evil army was able to find the villagers of what had once been Mooshville Village and they had them surrounded inside Coalore Cave. All that she could see when she glanced around her were the pus-covered faces of the zombie pigmen that held them captive._

_ Suddenly, one of the zombie pigmen shoved Mayor Edivon onto the ground and it pressed its golden sword onto the mayor's throat. Just as this was happening, a figure stepped into the cavern. Darkness covered where this armor-clad stranger's facial features. He held his thumb up and then brought it down, signaling the pigman to end the mayor's life. The pigman then gladly slit the mayor's throat, causing loads of blood to gush out of his wound. The mayor clutched at his throat desperately before dropping dead onto the floor. After this had happened, the army's uncontrollable mobs then ran towards the mayor's corpse, which was then devoured greedily by them in front of the villagers. Terror filled the villagers' eyes as the mobs then began to move on towards the villagers, whom they then feasted upon. As soon as the mobs were about to move on to Eve and her family, the armor-clad figure gestured for the zombie pigmen to stop the mobs. He then walked towards Eve and held her face. He then uttered the words, 'You shall soon face the same fate!' in a voice that seemed familiar to her. However, before she could even try to remember, the figure cuffed her on the back of her head, knocking her out cold._

-0(-_-)0-

Eve woke up with a jolt upon hearing the last few words in her memory. She then rubbed her eyes and looked out of the window, only to realize that it was already sunrise. Suddenly, the door opened and Mod stepped into the room, accompanied by a familiar person with a bandage wrapped over his head. "Zeph!" she cried out, as she ran forward and hugged him, only for him to grimace in pain. Realizing that he was in pain, she let him go.

"I see that you haven't changed a bit after all this years, Eve!" he said. "I feel like we have a lot of catching up to do!"

"Catching up will have to wait, buddy!" called out a voice in the doorway. Ashton stepped inside the room, accompanied by Jacque, who seemed to be occupied with admiring the wooden figurines of cats that Zeph had carved out.

"Ash!" yelled out Zeph, who gave his friend a quick hug. Remembering something from days earlier, Zeph then turned to his friend. "Hey Ash! I was wondering about something. Where did you get that awesome tattoo behind your neck?"

Ash's eyes widened in shock upon hearing the question. Turning towards Jacque's direction, he noticed that his friend had also heard the question and had nodded, gesturing for him to reveal something.

"Zeph buddy! I have to tell you something," said Ash, who then put on a serious look. "This isn't just any tattoo. This mark represents my being a student of Balkon," he said, as he lifted his shirt and revealed the tattoo.

-0(-_-)0-

**A/N: The sixth official chapter had finally been finished and a shortened version of the five years has been revealed! But if you think that I will only reveal that much info for the whole story, then you've got it wrong! That is just a small part of Eve's past and more shall be revealed in the future. In the meantime, the story begins to unfold as the story shall soon be introduced its first game cameo! What game you ask? Read on and find out!**

**P.S. One of my faithful readers has been inserted into the story's plot. That person shall be revealed in the next few chapters. In the meantime, for those interested in having a game cameo and/or their characters, then just PM me! See ya!**


	8. Chapter 7: Revelations

Chapter 7: Revelations

_Quiverload Residence_

"What did you just say?" asked Zeph, his expression was filled with shock. _Ash is a… student of The Mighty Balkon?_

"Please allow me to explain! As you all know, Balkon never takes in just about anyone as a student," he said, pausing for a moment. "I was once a rash young man who would get in trouble for doing whatever I want. However, this changed when Balkon first set foot on my hometown. At first, he seemed to be a silent man who was always seen with various young people eager to become his students. But soon, I began to grow jealous of the fact he had a flock of admirers following his every move.

"It was one fateful day that I decided to challenge Balkon himself. There were many angry shouts from his admirers that were hurled at me for my foolish attempt but he gladly accepted my request. Soon after that, we began our fight. I had my trusty iron sword while he fought with his bare hands. For one who possessed no weapon during the fight, I was astonished at his ability to even match me in combat. Pretty soon, I began to feel confident that I would be able to defeat him in just a few swings. My overconfidence eventually led to my very downfall. All of a sudden, my sword shattered to bits after he punched it.

"Shocked at the sudden turn of events, I was left dumbfounded. I decided to run away and train myself so that I may defeat him. However, before I could leave the village, he approached me at my very own home."

-0(-_-)0-

_"What do you want, old man? Haven't you already embarrassed me enough?" yelled Ash, who immediately slammed the door on the old man's face. However, he had a sudden feeling that something wasn't right. He turned around to find the old man standing on his doorway, his iron door having been smashed through by the hammer that the old man held._

_ "What do you think you're doing, old man? First you humiliated me, and then you break into my own home? What kind of games are you playing?" yelled Ash, who was close to his boiling point._

_ "Me? I'm not playing any game. It is you who is playing the game!" replied Balkon._

_ "What is that supposed to mean?" asked Ash, who was then cut off by the old man._

_ "What that means is that you aren't going anywhere without accepting my proposal!" replied the old man in a calm tone._

_ "So now you're blackmailing me? What's next? A failed robbery blamed on me? For Notch's sake! Please get out of here!" yelled the young man._

_ Balkon then turned for the door. Taking one last glance at Ash, he said, "Seek me before I leave tomorrow morning if you want to become my student."_

-0(-_-)0-

"And just like that, he left me staring dumbfounded at the doorway that was once broken. I didn't sleep well that night. As soon as the sun rose the following day, I had already made up my mind. I apologized to him for my rude behavior and begged him to accept me as a student. He smiled and gave me a tattoo in commemoration of that event," Ash said. The others seemed to be entranced by his story, all except Jacque, who looked like he had heard the story for the thousandth time.

Suddenly, someone let out a bloodcurdling scream from outside. Both Ash and Jacque dashed towards the direction of the noise, where they found some villagers running away from what appears to be an air vehicle. The two men drew their weapons and rushed towards the airship, completely unaware of the three zombie pigmen that were sneaking into the house.

"What was that sound?" asked Mod, upon hearing what appeared to be the sound of glass breaking. Zeph then limped towards the source of the noise, where he found one of the zombie pigmen crushed between the trap laid by Mod for any intruders. Only the villagers were aware of the details of the house, including its various traps.

Suddenly, the two other pigmen leapt into the scene and pulling out their golden weapons, they began to advance onto Zeph. Just as the zombie pigmen began to draw close to him, one of them suddenly convulsed and disintegrated, its death caused by a throwing knife in between its eyes. The other pigman turned around to face Eve, who held another throwing knife in her hand. Gritting its teeth in anger, it ran towards her, easily deflecting the next knife that was flung towards it. It then leapt into the air and as time slowed down, Eve closed her eyes shut. She heard the sound of metals clashing and opened her eyes to find Zeph in front of her, an iron sword in his hand. She slowly backed into a corner as Zeph swung the sword in a wide arc at the pigman, who dodged the slash and returned it with its own slash. Zeph quickly parried the blow and stabbed the pigman through its chest. He then pulled the sword out, only to see that it didn't affect the creature. He then performed a lunging sweep attack at the creature's legs, severing it in the process and causing it to topple to the ground. He then slashed vertically at the creature's skull, completely slicing it in half. He then turned around and found Eve firing an arrow at his direction, striking the previous pigman that was believed to have been crushed by the trap.

"Thank you," said Zeph.

"It's the least I can do," replied Eve. The duo then rushed outside the mansion, where they found Jacque and Ash finishing off the last pigman on the top of the airship that lay before them.

"We don't have much time," said Jacque, completely tired from the battle.

"What are you talking about? We've defeated all of them, right?" asked Zeph.

"It's not as easy as it sounds. I fear that there are reinforcements heading this way," replied Ash.

"I see. I knew this day would come," said Mod, who had just arrived at the scene. Handing both Zeph and Eve backpacks, he then took out a flaming bow from his own backpack and presented it to Eve. "You use range weapons, right? Well, this Phoenix Bow might just be for you."

Eve gratefully accepted the weapon and began testing it out. Meanwhile, Ash took out what appeared to be a sword wrapped in bandages. He then handed it to Zeph, who seemed stunned upon unveiling the weapon. The sword itself was a beauty as it seemed perfect in every manner. However, it seemed as though it was missing something.

"Why are you giving me this?" asked Zeph, upon examining the sword and swinging it in the air.

Ash began to frown and he then touched Zeph's shoulder, causing Zeph's eyes to widen in shock. "I'm giving it to you because you are the next Hero!"

-0(-_-)0-

Meanwhile, in a village not far away from the shorelines of the other side of the continent, an armored figure stood watching the waters slowly becoming violent. The figure's red and yellow cape flapped in the strong wind. The figure then pulled out what appeared to be a stone with cryptic markings written on it. The armored man then lifted the hand holding the stone, which began to glow eerily. The ground suddenly trembled and the water level began to rise as the man began to make some strange movements with his body. He then lowered his hand, causing the quakes and water levels to stop. Smiling as a few villagers looked on with fear at the man's power, he then turned around and headed for the village. The mark of a spider slowly began to form behind his cape.

-0(-_-)0-

**A/N: And that ends this chapter! It has been so busy around here lately and so this chapter had to be put away for a brief amount of time. And there we go! A short prelude to the next arc of the story! Want a hint on what game just unraveled in this chapter? Well, here's one word: runes. So yeah! Stay tuned, my beloved readers (not sure if you all DO stay tuned), and have a wonderful week!**


	9. Chapter 8: The Man in the Black Armor

Chapter 8: The Man in the Black Armor

_Somewhere along Toadshroom Path_

It had been hours since Zeph, Eve, and Mod left the Quiverload Residence in a hurry. It had also been hours since Zeph found out about being the new "Hero". All the colors from his face drained upon hearing the news. Taking his new blade, he began to study it carefully. Its blade looked pretty common, with the exception of strange inscriptions written in an unknown language on it. It had a blue hilt which was beautifully decorated with various golden designs. _I'm the new Hero… Why me?_

Suddenly, the carriage that they were in came to a complete stop. Upon exiting the vehicle, Eve gasped at the sight that beheld them. In the clearing near their vehicle, there were strange wraiths that seemed to have surrounded a horse-drawn cart. Right next to the cart was an unconscious cat and a figure with an exotic-looking armor.

"We have to help the cat! It's still alive but not for long!" yelled out Eve, who drew her new bow. She then released a rain of flaming arrows at the ghastly apparitions but to no effect. The arrows whizzed past them like they were wind blowing on their faces. This made the wraiths turn their attention towards the trio.

"What in the Nether are these things?" asked Zeph, who drew his new sword and charged towards the creatures. He vertically slashed at one of them and it let out a ghastly moan before disappearing. _This sword can harm them!_

Suddenly, a new wraith appeared before them. It had a different appearance compared to the other ones as it seemed to have possessed its own weapons. Seeing that this new creature as the most dangerous of them all, Zeph decided to take him on. He began to attack the creature with a series of slashes, each slash was easily being dodged by the creature. It then drew its own weapon and slashed at Zeph in a wide arc, narrowly missing Zeph by an inch. It then let loose a series of thrusts, which were all barely blocked by him. Zeph then ducked and lunged at the creature with a sweeping attack, seemingly destroying its "legs". He then proceeded to vertically slash it upwards. He then retreated back a few steps as he watched the creature slowly drop to the ground, moaning in agony. Just as he was about to turn around and help the others, he suddenly found the creature standing like nothing had happened to it. _It can heal itself?_

Meanwhile, Eve let loose more arrows at the oncoming onslaught of impish wraiths that seemed to have no end in sight. Mod assisted her by slashing at them with his enchanted diamond sword. Most of them were knocked back by the attack, only to return with more numbers. As the battle continued, the trio began to slowly get exhausted by the seemingly limitless amount of creatures. Just as they were about to lose their ground, the unconscious cat woke up.

"Nyaaaaa! I don't want to be a ghost yet-nya!" yelled the talking cat that stood perfectly upright. It then pulled out what appeared to be a wooden barrel and tossed it at the crowd that surrounded him, exploding upon impact and scattering their numbers. It then pulled out what appeared to be a crudely made iron pick and began hacking away at the other ghosts.

Despite his help in thinning their ranks, even the cat began to feel overwhelmed at the countless numbers of their enemies. Just as Zeph was about to get slashed by the smiling knight, a blade parried the attack and sent it staggering backwards. Zeph then looked up to find an armored figure standing before him, his red and yellow cape dancing in the wind. The figure then took out four stones with markings and began to whisper a few words in a language that he couldn't understand. Suddenly, flames began to sprout out of the figure's hands, which he then flung at the creature, incinerating it completely before it faded away.

"Thanks for the help!" said Zeph, who slowly got on his feet. The figure merely nodded in reply and taking a different stone, he uttered a few more words and at once, a whirling wind blew over the whole battleground, destroying a majority of the creatures. The remaining creatures decided to retreat away into the shadows, all except one, who began to transform into a hellish dog.

It then began to charge towards the foursome, only to be stopped by a blurry entity that seemed to strike at it from every direction. The armored figure suddenly vanished and reappeared at the scene, where he dealt the fiendish dog the killing blow. The blurry entity had also stopped attacking, revealing the features of a foxy creature.

"Thanks for saving us back there!" said Eve, who bowed her head in gratitude. Suddenly, she remembered about the injured cat and turned around to find it shaking its owner, who continued to lay on the ground. "Please wake up! Nya!" yelled the talking cat. Mod approached the body and felt the unconscious figure's neck. "He's still alive but we need to give him medical attention as soon as possible!"

"I know a village nearby," said an unfamiliar voice, which seemed to belong to their rescuer dressed in black armor. He then pulled out three stones and uttered a few words. A flash of light enveloped them all and soon enough, Zeph, Eve, Mod, the talking cat, the unconscious man, and the man in the black armor disappeared.

-0(-_-)0-

Moments later, they reappeared in what appeared to be the center of a fountain. The armored figure then grabbed the man and placed him on his shoulders and followed by the others, they made their way to a nearby infirmary. Giving the doctors instructions, he departed the room and silently waited while the doctors did their jobs.

"Thank you for helping my master!" said the talking cat after a few minutes.

"No problem," replied the armored man.

"By the way, what's your name, cat?" asked Eve. The tiny figure fumed upon being addressed with the title "cat".

"For your information, I'm not like any of those inferior beings! I'm a Felyne and I go by the name of Yaro!" said the felyne, who beat his chest proudly.

"Sorry about that!" replied Eve with a sweatdrop. Turning to the armored man, she asked, "What's your name?"

The armored man let out a short sigh and lifting his helmet off, revealing the features of a young man who didn't seem any bit older than her or Zeph. Eve gasped upon seeing his face, where there was a scar that took the form of a spider on his right cheek. He replied, "My name is Toonspider."

-0(-_-)0-

Meanwhile, just outside the infirmary, a strange man stood on the rooftops. He wore an all-black robe and a black hat. He took out what appeared to be a stone similar to that of Toonspider's and began to utter a few words and in a matter of seconds, a portal from the Underworld emerged and hundreds of demonic rats came out of it. He smiled with contempt as the hellish creatures began to pour into the streets and cause a lot of mayhem. He then left the portal open and began to depart the rooftop, not knowing that something else was coming out of his portal.

All of a sudden, a demonic fox emerged from the portal and with it, a hand came out along with its owner. This newcomer had an all-black armor set and a cape of darkness. On his cape was an image of a blood-red spider with a huge X on it. The armored figure smiled and removed his helmet, revealing his face as that of Toonspider's. He then let out a maniacal laughter and at once, a strong wind blew over the village and shattered every single window. He then turned to the direction of the infirmary and began to hover towards it, along with his demonic pet and hellish army.

-0(-_-)0-

**A/N: And that marks the rising action of this new arc! Hope you liked it and if not… You can always complain in the reviews or just PM me about it! And don't forget: You may PM me with an idea for next arc and your OCs! (BEFORE I SELECT A MORE DESTRUCTIVE ARC FOR EVERYONE! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!) On the side note, I am about to make a new story (again)! Feel free to support and review it when it comes out! So anyways… See YA!**


	10. Chapter 9: An Attack, A revelation an

Chapter 9: An Attack, A Revelation and A Transformation

_An infirmary in a nearby village, somewhere in the Continent of Mycelia_

"What was that noise?" asked Mod, after the windows of the infirmary began shattering.

"I'm not sure. I doubt that it will be good though," replied Toonspider, who gripped the hilt of the sword strapped on his back. "I'll be right back."

"Be careful!" said Eve, causing Zeph to produce a strange look on his face. _What is this… feeling?_

"Don't worry! I'll be okay," replied Toonspider, before departing the room. Upon reaching the infirmary's entrance, he was shocked to find a plague of Hellrats assaulting every single person in sight. Gritting his teeth, he drew his weapon, a sword with golden inscriptions, and began hacking at the closest ones. The other creatures noticed the new presence and began swarming towards him. Pulling out the magical stones from his pocket, he muttered a few words and sent a torrent of water towards the creatures, drowning most of them and scattering the rest.

At that very moment, a few Guild members decided to intercept the retreating swarms. One of the warriors, a man named T.K. brought out his overgrown hoe-looking weapon and began mashing the creatures. Zeph and the others also began to help out upon seeing the scene. Zeph drew his new weapon and brought it down on a few of them, decapitating them. Eve let loose a rain of arrows on the others, pinning them down on the spot. Mod smiled as he let struck each creature with his enchanted diamond sword and began laughing with each sickening sound of bones being crushed. Yaro drew his pick and cut down the various creatures, taking a few seconds to pick some of them up and munching on them. The battle was slowly drawing to a close and with each dead creature, Zeph felt confident that they will soon be victorious.

Suddenly, one of the Guild warriors dropped dead upon being stabbed by a sword of pure darkness. Toonspider paled upon seeing the culprit: a man with the same set of armor with a set of differences. His symbol was that of an X on a red spider and his cape was as black as the Sun in a solar eclipse.

"We meet again, Toonspider!" yelled out the mysterious man, who then began to dash towards him. The sounds of metals clashing echoed the village as their blades met, Toonspider's eyes burning with intense hatred.

As all this was taking place, another event occurred: Yaro dropped to the ground and began to burst into flames. Just as Eve approached the fallen creature, his fur turned orange and his eyes became blood red as he screamed bloody murder. Black markings began to appear under the Felyne's eyes. As he slowly stood up, his hellish aura began to envelop the whole village, as though the creature was an embodiment of power itself. Suddenly, he fixed his gaze on the remaining Hellrats and in one swift motion, he obliterated every single one of them in the blink of an eye. It then turned towards Eve, who then dropped onto the floor and slowly began backing away with fear.

Zeph noticed her plight but before he could help, a figure appeared in front of him and slashed his dagger at Zeph's face, only for him to parry the blow and jump backwards.

"Who are you?" asked Zeph. The stranger dressed in his all-black outfit smirked.

"People call me Evil Dave! I am the sultan of all that is EVIL!" yelled the strange man, causing Zeph to drop a sweat. "And I have managed to summon a portal to the world of EVIL!"

Zeph then realized that the man was as threatening as a flea. Taking his sword, he swiped at the man's head, causing Evil Dave to dodge, and with the flat of his blade, he struck Evil Dave's head and sent him sprawling on the floor unconsciously. As he turned to face Eve's direction, he found six zombie pigmen blocking his path. Cursing under his breath, he dashed towards the nearest pigman and swiped his sword on its neck, beheading it and causing it to disintegrate. The five remaining pigmen then charged towards him and began hacking wildly, causing Zeph to dodge and block each blow. Just as he parried one of the strikes that aimed for his chest, the pigman responsible suddenly got sliced in half. Zeph took a step backwards and found Yaro's new monstrous form terrorizing the pigmen with his demonic-looking scythe cutting their golden swords and beheading every single one of them. Eve sat cowering in one corner, frightened but unharmed.

"Die! All of you sniveling worms must perish!" yelled Yaro while laughing maniacally. After finishing off the last pigman by severing its limbs before beheading it, he turned to face the infirmary and dashed towards it. Zeph decided to follow it and upon reaching the door of the unconscious man, he found it destroyed and Yaro hissed from the inside, his back facing the unconscious man.

"Back off before I ruin that ugly face of yours!" yelled the monstrous creature as he emitted a dark aura. The blade of the scythe began to grow in size as the Felyne's anger increased. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go away!" yelled the creature as it leapt onto the air towards Zeph with its scythe aimed on his throat.

-0(-_-)0-

Toonspider huffed as the whole field got covered in smoke. His opponent smirked as he took out some stones that were similar to that of Toonspider's own. Muttering a few words, the dark figure grinned as smoke grew thicker. Sensing that something wasn't right, Toonspider quickly jumped back as tendrils of darkness swarmed the spot he was on before. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he took out his own spots and uttered a few words, causing wind to blow the smoke away. Realizing that his opponent was gone, he cursed as he suddenly found his legs frozen in place. He then felt a liquid dripping from his head and in a few seconds, blood burst out of his body and he fell to the ground unconscious, his sword clattering away.

"That was too easy," said the dark-armored figure who began to approach the fallen figure, only to find himself frozen in place. "Ah… I see that you've gotten a bit better at this," said the man. A few blocks away stood Toonspider, who began to cough up blood. Taking a swig of his potion, he found his wounds slowly closing up. He then picked up the sword that lay on the ground and bringing out his stones, he stood and faced his opponent.

"It's been a while since I last fought you, impersonator!" said Toonspider who began to utter a few words. Soon, a wall of fire surrounded the armored figure.

"Heh! I'm no impersonator! You are the impersonator!" said his look-alike, who then uttered a few words and at once, a demonic fox appeared and began absorbing the fire, completely extinguishing it in a few seconds. The creature then let out a growl and fired the absorbed flames back to Toonspider. He leapt out of the way as the ball of fire exploded a few blocks away, destroying a building in the process. He then uttered a few words and a ball of energy appeared and slowly formed a spirit fox. His look-alike smiled before breaking the ice that held him captive.

"Let's settle this once and for all! We shall put an end to this useless charade!" said Dark Toonspider who then charged towards Toonspider. The whole village shook as the two warriors clashed, sending sparks flying and causing flames to envelop half of the village.

-0(-_-)0-

Meanwhile, in the deepest pits of the Nether, sat a lonely figure on a throne of Nether Brick. The figure groaned as his prison shook. _Damn those infernal Ghasts and their insolent blasts! _As the figure continued to run these thoughts in his head, he failed to notice that the wall in front of him slowly began to crumble. Just as the figure finished his thoughts, he found himself facing three figures. The first figure was dressed in a white robe that had a hood covering his face. The figure in the middle wore an armor of darkness with a sword of darkness strapped on his back. The third figure was a skeletal figure that held a staff. There were orbs floating around it.

"Everything is slowly coming into place, Master!" said the hooded man who bowed his head.

"We have a spy with the new Hero at this very moment! There are many more scattered in every land! What do you think, Master?" asked the skeletal wizard.

Suddenly, the seated figure stood up and stepped into plain view, revealing a figure covered with various bandages. He wore a black coat with a golden scarab on the center of his chest. His right eye was replaced with a ruby. Sparks of electricity surged around him as though he was the very embodiment of power. He flashed them a smile and held out his left hand, igniting it into flames just by looking at it.

"Excellent work, my minions! Soon, the Overworld shall bear witness to my second coming! And this time, I will make sure to destroy that brat that calls himself the new Hero!" said the man, who began laughing maniacally along with the others.

-0(-_-)0-

**A/N: And that concludes this chapter! Just when one problem solves itself, another comes forth to wreak more havoc! Mwahahaha! And I believed that I have just added a new OC in this chapter. More details shall be revealed in the next chapter by next week. And for those who probably noticed, I have posted my new Monster Hunter fanfic! Feel free to read it and review. New chapters shall arrive by next week. So see ya!**


	11. Chapter 10: A Huge Problem

Chapter 10: A Huge Problem

_A village somewhere in the Continent of Mycelia_

"Get down!" yelled a voice from behind Zeph, which he immediately proceeded on doing. The scythe's blade clashed with the blade of the overgrown hoe that was held by one of the guildsmen, causing the cat to jump back and glare at his new opponent.

The man that stood before Zeph bore a resemblance to a knight that had once visited Mooshville a few years in the past. His armor was jet-black in color with a silver cross design on his chest. His helmet had a similar design on his vizor, with the exception of a blue T-shaped horn on the helmet's forehead. The guild's symbol shone in the moonlight on the man's left shoulder. Two more guildsmen entered the room, each of them wielding an enchanted iron sword.

"What's that Hellcat doing here?" asked one of the men, his sword enchanted with the fire aspect enchantment.

"I don't know. But whatever the reason, we need to take it down before it's too late!" replied the other newcomer, his sword enchanted by the smite enchantment. The two men then proceeded to charge towards the hellish creature, only to have their enchanted swords broken with one swipe of the creature's scythe.

"What the-?" asked the man with the broken fiery sword. As he continued to look at his broken sword, the creature immediately slashed at the man's sword arm, completely severing it and leaving a stump in its place. The man screamed as soon as his blood gushed out of the hole. The other man quickly drew him back from the creature while the armored figure stepped to block the next attack from the creature.

"Hey kid!" yelled the armored figure at Zeph, causing him to jump up in surprise. "I need you to do me a favor."

"What favor?" asked Zeph. Yaro took another swipe at the armored figure, which he quickly evaded with ease.

"I need you to get me a bucket of milk," said the man, who proceeded to barrage the creature with a series of swipes with his hoe.

Zeph immediately dashed out of the room and proceeded to head outside the infirmary. Seeing one of the guildsmen from earlier, he approached them.

"Excuse me," said Zeph. The man with the smite-enchanted sword stopped to look at him.

"Do you need something?" asked the man.

"Yes. Do you know where I can find any cows nearby?" asked Zeph, causing the man to look at him strangely. Suddenly, as realization began to dawn on the man's face, one of the windows of the infirmary shattered as the armored man's body was tossed out of the window with the hellish creature jumping out after him.

Before Zeph could watch the next scene unfold, he was grabbed by the guildsman who then began to lead the way towards what appeared to be a huge dome. As they entered the building, a lady approached them upon seeing the wounds of the duo.

"We need a bucket of milk now!" ordered the guildsman, earning him a strange look from the lady. "It's an emergency! Another one of _them_ is loose within the village." Upon hearing this, the lady quickly ran towards a room and after a few seconds, she came out with a bucket of milk. She then gave it to them, which they gratefully accepted before dashing out of the building.

After arriving back at the infirmary, they were shocked to find the creature pinned down by blocks of cobblestone on each limb. The creature gave a cry of agony as the guildsman poured the contents of the bucket on the hellish creature, causing it to scream in utter agony as it began to burn. With one last push, the creature freed itself of its bonds and was about to strike the guildsman when it dropped to ground, completely reverting to its original form as Yaro.

"What happened?" asked the felyne as it sat up groggily. Upon seeing the destroyed village, he became shocked. "What happened to the village? Did they win?"

"Don't worry, Yaro. Everything is going to be okay. There was just a slight problem but we managed to handle it," replied Zeph. The felyne then smiled before collapsing onto the ground.

Suddenly, a violent gust of wind knocked the others back, causing them to stumble at the sheer power of the wind. The clouds then began to darken before letting loose a barrage of icicles which Eve and Mod narrowly dodged. It was then followed by a rain of fire, causing everyone to seek shelter. Many buildings burned while some unlucky villagers got impaled by the icicles, killing them instantly.

"What's happening?" yelled Eve as she barely dodged an icicle that was aimed for her head. She then heard a groan behind her and turned to find a horde of zombies approaching her from a huge hole on the floor. As she drew her bow, she felt a strange tremor on the ground below her. She rolled away just at the nick of time as the place she stood on before exploded and from the hole came out what appeared to be a golden sphere with twelve rotating rods surrounding it.

Meanwhile, Mod found himself surrounded by balls of slime that seemed to have lives of their own. As he struck down one of the creatures, he found it splitting into two smaller ones. He then swiped at them both at once, only for four smaller creatures to emerge from each destroyed one. Hearing a hissing sound from behind him, he turned around to find four creepers heading towards him. As he muttered a curse under his breath, he felt something whiz a few inches past his face. The creature that was hit by the arrow immediately burned and disintegrated. He then turned around to find Eve launching arrow after arrow at each mob that came at her. He then proceeded to assist her, only to find a creeper blocking his way. Gritting his teeth in anger, he charged towards the creature.

-0(-_-)0-

Back at the infirmary, while Zeph and the others hid themselves from the rain of icicles and fire, an intruder had snuck into the building and began making his way towards the unconscious armored man's room. He smiled to himself as he had easily located the target without any hindrances and was about to take the man with him when he felt a chilling presence in the room. As he glanced around, he suddenly drew his weapon and blocked an incoming projectile that was hurtling towards him. He then found a silhouette of a man standing behind one of the curtains in the room.

"My, my! It takes you this long to complete this mission? Maybe I should have been the one to take on this quest!" said the silhouette. The intruder then lowered his weapon and smiled.

"You make it sound so easy! There was a bit of a problem that I had encountered and if it weren't for a certain _distraction_, I wouldn't have been able to make it this far!" he replied.

"Hmph! Only a fool would rely on a vile creature for backup! But then again, this might be the diversion we need to ensure the success of this mission," said the silhouette. He then moved away from the curtain and was about to exit the building through the window when he paused and took one last glance at the intruder. "You better be finished as soon as possible. The Master would not like to be kept waiting any longer!" he said, before departing, leaving the intruder to grit his teeth in frustration and after a few seconds, he resumed his task of abducting the unconscious man.

-0(-_-)0-

Meanwhile, both Eve and Mod had successfully obliterated most of the mobs that came at them, leaving only a handful left to deal with them. Eve continuously let loose a barrage of flaming arrows at the slimes that drew close to Mod while he sent many of the zombies flying with the knockback-effect of his weapon. As the battle drew to a close, Eve couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right. She then looked at the direction of the infirmary to find a silhouette carrying an object in the mist.

"Something's happening there," said Eve, causing Mod to take a glance at the direction that she was looking at while an arrow struck the last mob in the head, causing it to catch on fire and disintegrate. Realizing that the last mob was finished off, the two proceeded to run towards the direction of the silhouette, only to find an unexpected sight that awaited them. There stood a giant creature on the spot where the silhouette was spotted on.

The creature looked like a zombie, only it was ten times larger and it seemed more powerful compared to one. Its eyes were lifeless and its body slowly rotting away. Its horrid stench seemed to stretch for miles and its odor was ten times more powerful than the spray of a skunk. Both Mod's and Eve's eyes widened in terror upon seeing it.

"I-Isn't t-that a z-zombie?" asked Eve, who drew her bow.

"No, it isn't. But it definitely is five times more powerful than one!" replied Mod, whose sword arm trembled.

"I-If it i-isn't a z-zombie, wh-what is i-it?" asked Eve.

"It's a giant!" replied Mod. Upon seeing them, the creature let out a roar that shook the foundations of every building in the village and caused Zeph and the others to snap into attention. They trembled in fear as well upon laying their eyes on the creature.

Suddenly, the creature began to charge towards them, causing everyone to draw their weapons. Upon nearing them, it brought its fist down onto the earth, causing a terrible earthquake of all sorts and causing all of them to stumble and trip.

"This isn't looking good at all!" said Zeph, as he stood back up, followed by the others. "But we can't give up now! We must attack it!" he yelled before charging towards the huge creature while letting out his battle cry.

* * *

**A/N: And that ends this chapter! I definitely promised to reveal details of the new OC on this chapter but all I placed here was a description of the man who wielded the overgrown hoe in the last chapter! Wait a second… that guy IS the OC and his name is T.K., which was contributed by a very dear buddy of mine (not revealing names!) If you still feel like being part of the story, then it's not too late! Just PM me or leave it in the reviews somewhere! (though I find it best to PM me instead because I can definitely reply back! Know what I'm saying?) Anyways, the story just keeps getting better and better! In fact, a boss just appeared! Will Zeph and the others defeat the huge menace? Or will it crush their chances of saving the world? Who is the mystery abductor of the unconscious armored man? All these questions and more in the next few exciting chapters of MATOW!**

**P.S. I have a question for all my very faithful, handsome/beautiful readers: What would you like to happen on the next arc of the story? Feel free to write your responses in the review section of the story! Thank you and see you next time!**


	12. Chapter 11: Slaying Goliath

Chapter 11: Slaying Goliath

_A village somewhere in the Continent of Mycelia_

The giant creature saw Zeph approaching it and with its giant fist, it struck at the hero who had barely been able to dodge it. As he rolled to the left, the creature began to sweep his arm towards his direction, causing him to be flung towards a building. Seeing that he was in trouble, the others decided to assist him by distracting the creature with their attacks. Eve fired her arrows onto the creature's leg, causing fire to singe it. However, the creature wasn't fazed by this and brought its fist down in front of her, sending her flying towards a nearby leaves pile. The others weren't faring well either. Mod had attempted to hack at the creature's legs but was kicked by the creature towards a pumpkin farm. The guildsman from earlier attempted to strike the creature after leaping onto the air from a nearby building towards the creature but was brought down with one mighty chop and was sent flying with a mighty kick. He crashed onto a tavern, which sent many glass bottles shattering in his wake. The felyne, Yaro, was paralyzed with fear as the creature began advancing towards him.

Just as the creature was about to crush the poor felyne with its colossal fist, a new figure joined in the fray, T.K. the guild knight! With his weapon, he struck at the creature's leg and brought it deep into its bone, causing the creature to roar in pain. As he continued to assault the creature, the creature began to fight back by flinging brick blocks at him, which he dodged effortlessly. He then leapt onto the air and struck at the creature's fist, which buried the weapon deep into its flesh. With one hard tug, he pulled his weapon free and leapt out of the way as a surge of lightning struck at the creature's skull all the way to its feet. The creature let a huge roar and struck at the rooftop of a nearby building with its fist. A silhouette leapt out of the way onto another building nearby as the giant destroyed the building with one punch.

Meanwhile, Zeph had recovered from the attack earlier and taking his sword, he charged towards the creature and successfully struck the creature's leg, causing it to fall onto a nearby building. Seeing this as an opportunity, he climbed onto the creature's body and unleashed a fury of attacks onto the creature's chest all the way onto its skull, which left it with an ugly scar. T.K. had also begun hacking away at the creature's right leg, severing it with one blow. The silhouette, which turned out to be Toonspider, began unleashing a rain of fire onto the creature, causing a lot of fire to sprout all over its body. He then muttered a few words and summoned icicles which pinned the creature down onto the ground. Eve, who had recovered from the attack, then began firing a lot of arrows onto the creature's eyes, permanently blinding it. The creature let out a huge roar and with a loud grunt, it wrenched itself free from its temporary imprisonment and attempted to stand up, only to stumble back upon being struck by a barrage of rocks. Zeph, who clung onto the creature's ear with his sword, freed his weapon and unleashed another fury of attacks at the creature's neck, which caused blood to spurt out of the wound. T.K. then struck the creature's good leg with one last blow, severing it from the creature.

"Now's your chance!" yelled T.K. at Zeph, who nodded before bringing his weapon onto the creature's neck, severing it completely. With the creature's head separated from the rest of its body, it immediately disintegrated.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Zeph collapsed onto the ground. The others immediately began checking on the others and treated the wounds of those who were injured. The guildsman who had assisted Zeph did not make it however and was found dead by Eve. Mod had suffered a lot of broken bones and was forced to seek medical attention. The other guildsmen began surveying the buildings for any casualties while Eve treated Zeph's wounds. Yaro headed onto the infirmary, hoping to see that his owner was okay. However, a loud cry of despair could be heard from the distance, causing Zeph's eyes to snap open. With a loud grunt, he managed to stand up and using his weapon for support, he began limping towards the infirmary. Upon arriving there, he found the infirmary destroyed and Yaro crying in front of it. Seeing the infirmary in ruins, Zeph began making his way towards the infirmary and began lifting tons of debris out of the way. There were many corpses pinned by the rubble but none were armored. Noticing the destroyed infirmary, the other villagers began helping him out by moving the debris out of the way while lifting the corpses and bringing them to the village center to be identified. The village was soon filled with the sounds of mourning as villagers hugged the corpses of their dead relatives. After lifting the last block of stone, Zeph noticed various parts of armor scattered around the vicinity.

"Isn't this the armor of that man that we found?" asked Zeph. Upon seeing the armor, the felyne rushed towards the various sets of armor and began gathering them up.

"If my master's armor is here, where's my master?" asked Yaro, who suddenly began to feel worried. Suddenly, he smelt something strange in the air. While following the scent, he found himself following what appeared to be green glowing tracks on the ground. After a couple of minutes, the footprints ended at the exit of the village. He then noticed a sign next to where the footprints had ended. After reading the words inscribed on the sign, he hurried back onto the village to find Zeph and the others.

-0(-_-)0-

Meanwhile, at a nearby village, a cloaked figure had successfully arrived at a tower made of sand and sandstone. Upon pressing a few buttons, the iron door opened. He then entered the sand tower and with him was a pig carrying a man with long, unkempt hair. As he entered the tower, the cloaked man found himself facing four cloaked figures. One of them sat on a throne of Nether brick.

"I have brought him, sire!" said the cloaked man, who removed his hood to reveal himself as none other than Dark Toonspider, the identical form of Toonspider.

"Excellent! Now, I want you to do me a favor!" replied the figure who sat on the throne.

"What shall I do for you, Your Majesty?" asked Dark Toonspider.

"It is going to be quite the easy task. I need you to recruit a certain person for me. I will be providing you the location of his whereabouts," ordered the figure.

"And who, may I ask, is this man that you would like of me to recruit?" asked Dark Toonspider.

"The man that you will be hiring is known to be the worst nightmare for every Minecraftian. People call him a ghost. But everyone knows that his name is really Herobrine!" said the seated figure, who let out a maniacal laugh. The ground below the seated figure began to transform to soul sand as the man continued his maniacal laugh. "Now go forth and see to it that _he _will finish the job!"

-0(-_-)0-

"Yaro, what's wrong?" asked Eve, after Yaro had barged into the room that Zeph was currently in.

"I know where my master is!" replied the felyne, who began leaping with excitement.

"Really?" asked Eve, to which the felyne responded with a nod. "Where is he?"

"He's in the village known as Sweet Village!" replied Yaro, who began jumping for joy.

"Sweet village?" asked Mod, who had awoken after the ruckus that the felyne was causing.

"Yup! It said so on the sign!" replied the felyne. Upon hearing those words, Mod's face slowly formed into a frown, causing the others to look at him in wonder.

"Do you know something about it?" asked Eve, to which the old man nodded.

"Despite the name of that village, everything in it is all but sweet. It is a village known to be the most expensive village in the entire world. Many of the villagers are poor and although there are many businesses, not a single one of them is willing to help the poor. The village elder himself is known to be corrupt!" said Mod, whose eyes looked downcast.

"That's terrible!" said Yaro, whose eagerness to find his master slowly faded away.

"If we are to head for that village, we must be ready to fight off any thieves and robbers. We'll depart in four days," ordered Mod, to which everyone agreed, even Zeph who woke up after the commotion.

"Now that that's settled, why don't we go to sleep and recover ourselves?" said Zeph, who then placed his head back on his pillow and after a few seconds, began snoring. The others began sleeping as well, except the felyne who stared at the moon. He began to hope that no harm would befall his master.

-0(-_-)0-

**A/N: That ends this chapter! I just couldn't resist placing **_**him **_**in the story! And as this story arc closes, a new one begins. A word to all who have read up to this point: Without your very reviews, this story may cease to exist! So if you can, go review this story! Don't be afraid to express your feelings and even if you aren't good at spelling words, I would still know that you care! So come on and write your story! And another thing before I go, the next chapter might be a short one! So just read on and I will see you all next time!**


	13. Chapter 12: Visitor of the Night

Chapter 12: Visitor of the Night

_A village somewhere in the Continent of Mycelia_

It had been four nights since the battle with the colossal giant and the renovations for the village were being done. Despite the noises of various blocks being placed on other houses and curses of pain being yelled out in various times of the night, the group was able to rest well and were about to depart the next day when the village invited them to a thanksgiving party. They were all thanked by the villagers and the village chief, who gave Zeph a box. He instructed Zeph not to open the box until the right moment, which Zeph kindly accepted. Soon after that, the villagers began to liven up the party by having competitions involving various cakes and apples. Everyone was laughing when both the village chief and Mod competed against each other in a competition to see who can eat the most cakes while balancing on a wooden table. After a short amount of time, Mod was pronounced victorious after the village chief accidentally slipped from the table because of a fallen chunk of his cake. The two eventually shook hands and became fast friends. The party continued on until the middle of the night when everyone heard the sudden hissing of creepers lurking about. Everyone immediately rushed towards their shelter, except for the guildsmen who fended off the ambush and successfully drove out the mobs. By then, everyone was exhausted and they decided to rest.

As everyone began to fall asleep, the night slowly descended into an hour of silence. However, not everyone was dreaming about paradise. One man in particular was being visited by an unexpected visitor. As many hours passed by, Mod suddenly began to toss about back and forth.

-0(-_-)0-

'_Where am I?' _Mod asked himself as he found himself in a seemingly empty room. The only notable part of the room was the strange glass wall that stood in front of him.

'_Hello.' _said a voice from nowhere. Mod began to look around frantically for the source of the voice. He then backed up towards the glass wall while continuing to look around for any noticeable devices in the room. '_Paranoid now, are we?' _taunted the voice, causing Mod to turn around. He found himself facing a dark silhouette from the other side of the glass wall.

'_Who are you? Where am I?' _asked Mod, who attempted to draw his weapon, only to realize that he had no equipment on him whatsoever. He then found a torch on the floor and quickly took it. After lighting it up from a fire source on a wall, he quickly went back towards the glass wall and brought the light close to the wall, which soon revealed the figure's features.

The man wore an all-black outfit which composed of a black coat made of leather, black pants, a black shirt, and a black hat which covered the man's eyes. He had a black beard that that covered the lower part of his face. There seemed to be a white glow emanating from under his hat. Once in a while, the man's head would twitch but would return to its original position. Strapped to his back was a strange-looking sword. It seemed to glow an eerie purple, its color resembling that of the Nether portal's window. His body seemed to be cackling with electricity. As soon as Mod saw him, he began to shiver at the man's presence, as though the man was a figure of evil.

'_So you cower before me? Do you know who I am?' _asked the figure in Mod's head, causing him to fall to the ground in shock. Upon landing on the ground, he suddenly had a glimpse of the man's eyes. His eyes were pure white, which gave off the eerie glow that lit the bottom of the man's hat. Realizing who the man was, Mod began to back away.

'_Impossible! You're not supposed to exist!'_ Mod yelled out. The man smiled and raised his right hand. Upon dropping it, the glass wall shattered to a million tiny pieces, which gave the man a passage towards Mod.

'_Oh? You say that I don't exist? Then how would you explain why I'm here, in your head?'_ asked the man who continued to take a step closer.

'_Because this is a dream!' _replied Mod, pointing his torch at the man as though it would kill the man.

'_Is that what I am now to you all? A dream? Well, why don't I just show you a nightmare!'_ yelled the man, who spread his arms and summoned electricity from his palms. He then brought his hands together before disappearing in a blink of an eye. Just as Mod looked around for the man, he felt a presence behind him and turned around to see the man reappear. The man then slammed his fist onto Mod's right eye, which caused a black spot to appear. He then hit the old man with his knee before knocking him down with his elbow. As Mod struggled to defend himself, the man gave him one last kick before walking away, leaving Mod all bruised up.

The man then created a portal which gave out a dark aura. Before entering the portal, he gave one last look at Mod and removed his hat. He gave Mod a smile before putting his hat back on and entered the portal. While doing so, he had dropped a piece of paper onto the floor. As soon as he disappeared, Mod then slowly crawled towards the paper and began to read it.

"_You have seven days."_

-0(-_-)0-

A horrifying shriek suddenly woke Mod up. All the lamps were turned on and there was a crowd gathered at his doorway. Eve was person who had screamed and upon looking at a nearby mirror, Mod was shocked to see the black spot on his eye. It was the same wound that the man inflicted at him.

"Notch's beard! What happened to you, old man?" asked Zeph, who looked shocked at his grandfather's appearance.

Mod shivered as he uttered the name of the man responsible for his wounds. "Herobrine!"

-0(-_-)0-

**A/N: Like I said in the last chapter, this is a short chapter! And here's another heads up: Next chapter will not be a chapter. Instead, it is going to be another interlude about a certain character. Who is it, you ask? Why don't you just wait and see! See ya next week!**

**P.S. There are two references added in this chapter. Can you name them? You may give me your answers through PM! The winner shall be announced in the interlude so you have a week to give me your answers! Good luck!**


	14. Interlude 2: A Lover's Dilemma

Interlude: A Lover's Dilemma

_The road to Sweet Village, Age 108_

A few hours after their departure, Zeph and his party consisting of four had found a cave to spend the night in. Both T.K., who wanted to accompany Zeph and the others on their journeys, and Toonspider, who decided to tag along for reasons unknown, volunteered to secure the cave by blocking the cave entrance with whatever materials that they had obtained in their travel. Eve made a campfire while Zeph helped to set up the beds. Mod helped out by preparing their dinner, which consisted of mushroom soup and leftover meaty bits from their earlier meal.

Occasionally, the party would hear sounds coming from the deeper parts of the cave and after a few incidents involving spiders appearing out of nowhere and attacking them, they all decided to take turns in keeping watch while the rest would sleep. Seeing the others all battered and worn-out, Toonspider volunteered to take the first shift. And so the nightly hours went by without any problems, with the exception of a skeleton that happened to wander dangerously close to the cave. As his shift was about to end, an distant memory from his past suddenly came to his mind. He then took a glance at the large hole in the ceiling to find a beautiful full moon staring back at him. Smiling at the sight, he let himself enter the memory engraved into his mind.

-0(-_-)0-

_Beacon City, Age 98_

_ Many years after the battle against Anu, the world of Minecraft was at peace. The six legendary warriors and their descendants continued to preserve the peace of the world. Many villages and cities were rebuilt, each governed by a leader that the six had deemed worthy of their roles. Each area had been given their own defenses which they used to protect themselves. As the years went by, the villages slowly began to come under the rule of the cities. The leaders of the cities began to gather themselves some support and eventually, they became power-hungry. Many chose to abuse their power and began to fight against other cities. As the battles continued, the descendants of the six began to take matters into their own hands and chose to fight off the corrupt leaders through warfare. While many of the corrupt cities surrendered to the vicious attacks of the alliance formed by the descendants, only one city proved to be a difficult opponent. In the midst of the chaos, a new romance bloomed._

-0(-_-)0-

_ Toonspider had once been known as Seth Toondale before his becoming a powerful magician of the stones. He lived a life where he had to fight to survive. Due to the numerous casualties resulting from various thieveries, he had decided to hunt his own food. Because of the tough security measures of the city, he was forced to seek other ways to exit the area. After numerous days of finding new passages to sneak away into, he discovered a hidden room one summer morning. At first, he thought that the books located in the room were useless piles of junk. However, after he had taken a glimpse at one of the books, his life took a turn for the better. The books were in fact manuals on operating mystical stones that contained powers that were hidden during the battle against Anu. The stones were said to be powerful and to keep it away from power-hungry maniacs, they were stored into the room that Seth had discovered._

_ He continued to visit the ancient library to learn more about the mystical stones each day and after a month, he was able to master their powers. One fateful day, he ventured out into the city and found some guards who were bullying a young lady. Deciding to help her out, he provoked the guards into a fight. Thinking that he was small fry, the guards came at him baring their swords. However, they soon learnt their mistakes the hard way when he summoned a strong gust of wind to knock them towards the nearby buildings. He then summoned a torrent of water which he sent towards the fallen guards, which carried them all the way onto the city sewers. Seeing her aggressors beaten and her savior shining in glory, she thanked him with a kiss on his lips, which caused him to blush. The young lady introduced herself as Alicia Haze, a doctor's apprentice who had come to the city to find a job. She bid him farewell and left him with a card that had the image of a spider, which caused him to think about her as a mysterious lady._

_ Days after the incident, he saw her again when he was about to enter the ancient library. As he approached her, she slowly turned towards his direction and called out to her hero. He responded with a smile and it was that moment that the pair had realized that they had suddenly developed feelings towards each other. And so, the months went by without incident and the pair took each other out to other places while taking the time to learn about each other. Their relationship bloomed to a point that after a year, they were ready to take their relationship to the next level._

_ One fateful day, while taking a stroll on the park, Seth led her to a certain spot where he suddenly knelt down and showed her a ring with pieces of ruby attached to it. He then asked for her hand in marriage and not long after, she replied with a yes before giving him a passionate kiss on the lips. They had then become engaged. However, not long after that, a tragic event took place in Beacon City._

_ Weeks after his proposal, Seth had been making preparations for his wedding and was heading for the church when sudden explosions occurred from a distance, prompting him to head towards the direction and investigate. Upon arriving at the scene, he found his betrothed lying on the ground with a strange mark on her face that was spreading all over her. Angered at the sight, he scooped her up into his hands and carried her all the way to a nearby hospital. Learning that she was stuck in a comatose state and that she was slowly withering away, he decided to lash out in anger at her oppressors. He found them standing as an army outside the mayor's office building. Enraged by what they had done onto his loved one, he unleashed the Nether onto every single one of them. Fire rained down from the sky, completely obliterating every single one of them. He then sought after those who had seen their comrades fall. Seeing the threat that loomed behind them, they threw whatever weapons they had at him only to get them deflected back with his sudden burst of energy. Without a show of mercy, Seth unleashed his wrath onto the oppressors by showering them with large icicles, killing them all instantly and creating a new monument inside the city. The monument was later called the "Death Crystal". He soon fell exhausted and collapsed onto the ground below._

_ After waking up the next day, Seth was praised a hero and was carried before the mayor of the city. However, in an act of defiance, he approached the mayor and punched him on the face. He then rebuked him for being a bad example to his people and blamed him for Alicia's fate. Before Seth would be taken away by the Guild guards, the mayor had a change of heart and had declared that from that day onwards, the city was now under the leadership of Seth and that the ex-mayor declared himself exiled in retribution for his past crimes. Shocked at the sudden turn of events, Seth would become the new leader of the city and would help out those who were in need. While he wasn't busy doing anything, he would visit Alicia and watch her slowly fade away with each passing day. Fearing that she would soon disappear, he gave control of the city to the Guild in his absence and set out on a journey to find the cure for Alicia's ailment._

_ Ten years later, he received a vision from one of the gods of Minecraft, Jeb. He was instructed to locate The Crying Obsidian, an object that had once been an instrument of healing. Taking pride in his new task and fueled by the power of love, Seth took on the name 'Toonspider' and set out to locate the whereabouts of The Crying Obsidian, his beloved Alicia in his mind. His first step was to locate the key to finding the mythical object, the next Hero who would be Zeph._

-0(-_-)0-

"Toonspider?" called out T.K., snapping the man awake. He turned around to find T.K. walking towards his direction.

"You called?" asked Toonspider, who stepped out of his brief resting place.

"Yes. I came here to tell you that I'll be taking on my shift now," said the man with his right hand clutching his hoe in case a mob would appear out of nowhere.

"Okay," replied Toonspider who proceeded to head towards the deeper part of the cave where the beds were located. As he exited the scene, T.K. looked up at the full moon and smiled.

"A full moon, huh? Isn't it a perfect night to go insane?" he said to himself, chuckling while doing so.

-0(-_-)0-

**A/N: Sorry that this interlude took long to publish! There were a few things I needed to do that involved the preparation for this "chapter". My school may start again soon so my publishing date may not be so consistent. Hopefully, I may publish a new chapter every week but until then, hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see ya next time! Oh, there wasn't a single person who managed to hand me an answer in my question last week. I did realize that my "references" might not have been too clear. I'll be back with a new question next week or so! Please relax and enjoy the story!**


	15. Chapter 13: Demons of the Night

Chapter 13: Demons of the Night

_Road to Sweet Village_

"Are you okay?" asked Zeph after he found Toonspider looking somewhat sad that day.

"I'm fine." replied Toonspider before he uncapped a flask of water and drank its contents. He then placed the empty bottle onto his inventory.

The party of five had been travelling for a few hours and had been able to find a sign that marked the distance of their destination. They had managed to see a village just a few hours' walk away. They had twice come across what appeared to be abandoned farms with its animals wandering about aimlessly. Strangely enough, they had encountered a farm full of pigs dressed in leather armor. They seemed to be leading a pack of dogs which they then sicced at the party. With a few arrows and a barrage of fiery rocks, the packs of dogs were defeated and the dressed pigs were slain for their meat. Mod could have sworn that he heard one of the pigs begging for mercy. The party of five then decided to rest for a while in the farm and finding a furnace, they then cooked the pork and had them for lunch. The other farm animals seemed to have made a run for it by the time they had finished their meal so they continued on with their journey.

After a few more hours of travelling, they found themselves resting on an abandoned wooden hut. The hut itself was in an unstable condition as it had many parts of its walls seemingly about to burst if just a pinch of force was applied. Despite its remarkable condition, the party decided to rest for a while there and take a nap if they needed it. As the beds were set up and most of the party was sound asleep, one in particular sat awake. Zeph found himself becoming completely restless as he shuffled back and forth around the hut. Deciding to ignore that ominous feeling bubbling from within him, he decided to train himself by making himself a training dummy out of a pumpkin, brown wool, and two sticks. Drawing his sword, he practiced the strokes of his weapon and continued on with this deadly dance several times before he decided to rest up for a bit. Unbeknownst to him, he was being watched by those who were once the inhabitants of the hut.

-0(-_-)0-

"Ow!" yelled Zeph as he felt something prick his left shoulder. Opening his eyes, he found an arrow lodged onto his shoulder and as he pulled it out, he was suddenly sent flying onto the air as a creeper exploded behind him. He landed onto the wooden ground with a heavy thud, which caused the others to snap awake.

"Oh Notch! You're bleeding!" yelled Eve, as Zeph slowly lifted himself off the ground. He then turned towards the clearing as numerous mobs began to appear out of nowhere.

The mob army that charged towards them consisted of a variety of the famous mobs. The dreaded spider jockeys scuttled towards them with the speed that outmatched even the fastest of the Minecraftians. Electrically-charged creepers hurried towards them with a ferocity that neither of them was able to comprehend. Armored zombies charged towards them with swords on their hands. Behind them marched a pack of Zombie Pigmen that brandished their golden swords in a menacing way, their eyes filled with a demonic thirst for blood. However, what stood out most of all among the army of misfits were mobs that marched in the middle of their formation. Taking on the appearance of charred bones, the mobs stood proud with their stone swords held high in the air. They were about two blocks tall, taller than most of the mobs in the vicinity which contributed to their uniqueness.

"May Notch have mercy on us all! Those things are Wither Skeletons! How exactly did they get here?" asked Toonspider as he pulled out his stones.

"Nya! Didn't they only exist in the Nether?" questioned Yaro, whose iron pick trembled, as though the creature feared the mobs.

"They usually do. But I'm not sure now." said T.K. as he clutched his weapon.

"Wherever they come from, that wouldn't matter now. What matters now is that we finish them off!" said Zeph as he drew his weapon. Upon seeing the weapon, many of the mobs hissed and growled before charging towards them at full force.

The five Minecraftians rushed towards them and engaged them all in combat. Mod dodged a blow from a zombie dressed in golden armor before stabbing it on the throat and kicking it onto its comrades nearby. Eve let loose a rain of arrows that struck the electrically-charged creepers on their heads. The creatures writhed in pain as the flames consumed them. One of them decided to take some desperate measures and exploded, sending everyone flying and destroying a few of its zombie comrades in the process. Zeph quickly recovered from the impact of the mob's detonation and brought his sword down on a spider jockey, slicing both the spider and its rider in half. He then twisted around and slashed his sword on a nearby zombie pigman, beheading it. With a few uttered words, Toonspider summoned a barrage of rocks that crushed a majority of the spider jockeys. Yaro worked his way through the mobs, piercing the zombies' helmets with his pick and smashing a few skeleton riders in the process.

Meanwhile, T.K. took on the Wither Skeletons. As he brought the blade of his hoe onto the neck of a Wither Skeleton, he suddenly found his weapon being deflected back. Gritting his teeth in agony, he attempted to slash at the creature's neck again, only for it to parry the blow and return his blow with a thrust of its blade, opening a small cut on his cheek. Feeling his blood pour down from the cut, he smiled and lunged at the creature with his weapon, smashing its ribs with the flat of his blade. As the creature attempted to recover from its wounds, T.K. took this as an opportunity to attack it, only for him to narrowly miss getting nicked by the blade of another Wither Skeleton. Despite the odds of the situation, he continued to assault the mobs with the ferocity of a battle-scarred warrior.

"We're winning this battle!" exclaimed Mod as he struck a spider with the thrust of his blade. However, his celebration was cut short when he heard a soft sound being emitted from the sky. He looked up to find a jellyfish-like creature floating in the air. His eyes widened in shock upon recognizing the creature. _What the-? Is that a Ghast?_

"Get down!" yelled Toonspider as he pushed Mod aside after the creature fired a ball of flames from its mouth. The ball exploded in a burst of energy which created a large crater on the spot where Mod used to stand before.

As the ghast fired another ball of flames, Zeph quickly leapt into the scene and deflected the shot with the flat of his blade, sending the ball hurtling back at it. The ball exploded on the side of its face, causing it to crash onto the ground. However, their victory was short-lived when three more Ghasts appeared and fired rounds of shots at them from point-blank range. The others proceeded to assist Zeph and deflected the shots with ease. As more of the Ghasts appeared at the scene, they suddenly began to feel fatigue and weariness from battling the mobs and proceeded to retreat back to the hut. Shutting the door, they headed towards the center of the hut where they regrouped.

"There's just too many of them!" yelled Eve as they felt an explosion shake the foundations of the hut.

"We'll have to make an escape route!" said Mod as he handed everyone an axe and a pickaxe each.

And so, the group began to destroy the floor of the hut with their axes and upon reaching the stone ground, they pulled out their pickaxes and began to mine their way underground. They all stopped once or twice to place a torch to light the path before resuming their jobs. After two hours, they suddenly found a strange ore embedded into the wall. It appeared green and after Zeph mined the ore, he examined it.

"This looks like emerald!" said Zeph as he pocketed the gem. "We must be near an extreme hills biome! Maybe if we dig farther, we'll find an exit soon."

"Maybe. We won't know until we try" replied Toonspider as he pulled out a stone. Muttering a few words, the others watched as the walls drew apart, opening a path for them. They then proceeded to light some torches and continued down the path.

After a few minutes of walking, the group sighted some light up ahead and a few more walls of emerald which Zeph collected. They then proceeded to head towards the light source and soon reached what appeared to be a mineshaft. They then came across a huge source of light a few minutes later and upon exiting the mineshaft, they found themselves in a new village.

Noticing a sign nearby, Mod read it and gasped loud enough for the others to notice. "Notch's beard! We're in Sweet Village!"

-0(-_-)0-

"They've fallen into the trap!" said a hooded figure eagerly.

"Excellent!" replied the seated figure on the throne.

"Shall we proceed to the next phase?" asked the hooded figure.

"Yes, we shall!" said the figure as he stood up and walked into a spot of light, revealing himself to be Anu.

-0(-_-)0-

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait, my beloved readers! Schoolwork's gone crazy lately so I wasn't able to update quickly! Anyways, I'll try to resume my weekly schedule so be patient! Oh, and by the way… Anyone see the recent snapshots? If so, you would know where the mobs mentioned in my story came from. So see ya!**


	16. Chapter 14: Bittersweet Reunion

Chapter 14: Bittersweet Reunion

_Sweet Village_

"It doesn't look any different than the villages I've been in." said T.K. as he examined the buildings around him. "Everything looks similar to-"

"Hey, what's that buiding over there?" interrupted Yaro, pointing at a huge dome structure that stood behind the group.

"Let's check it out!" said Zeph who headed towards the building. As the group made their way towards the huge coliseum, they had passed by a young lady who was crying. She was dressed in a black outfit which seemed to resemble the clothes of mourning. Noticing her, Toonspider stopped and approached her.

"Excuse me." he said. The young lady lifted her face to look at him.

"Yes?" she asked.

"I don't mean to intrude but I couldn't help wonder what could have brought you to tears." he said. The lady simply rubbed her tears away and looked towards the direction of the coliseum.

"They've taken my fiancé to that thing… that death trap!" she said while pointing her finger at the coliseum accusingly. "They call that heap of junk 'The Gladiator Pit'!"

-0(-_-)0-

The man cried out upon getting stabbed at his stomach. The iron sword protruding from his stomach was held by a maniacal figure with a gap-toothed smile. However, the killer's victory did not stay for long as he was brought down by another warrior who shot an arrow straight through his skull. The archer then shot another arrow at an oncoming figure who wielded a golden warhammer. The figure, dressed in leather armor, evaded the flying projectile but not before getting sliced in half by a newcomer who wielded an iron longsword. The newcomer wore an iron helmet which covered his face with a visor.

"There are now two fighters left in the arena! Who will be the victor?" announced a man dressed in a red leather suit. The crowd went wild with their applause as the two remaining fighters circled each other, waiting patiently for the other to move.

Suddenly, the archer let loose an arrow at the other fighter who blocked the attack and rushed towards him. As the archer retreated, he fired another arrow, only to have it deflected back at him with a flick of the blade. The crowd let out huge cheers as the archer stumbled upon a wall made of dispensers with his foot stepping on a pressure plate. Upon discovering his fatal mistake, he could only watch as lava began to pour out of the dispenser and gushed down all over him. He let out one last cry as he was soon covered by the deadly liquid. Parts of the crowd let out huge groans of grief as they seemed to have lost their bets. Many began pulling out emerald and handed them onto the collectors who had to push their way past the audience to pursue any who were attempting to escape. The victor was then escorted back onto a tunnel that led towards the iron bars that held him and his fellow gladiators captive.

-0(-_-)0-

"No way!" exclaimed Zeph upon witnessing the gruesome spectacle that occurred earlier. Toonspider had apparently told them the news that the grieving lady had given him.

"That's disgusting!" yelled Eve, who eyed the spectacle with intense dislike.

"Master?" yelled Yaro as he looked at the armored figure who flung his sword at a wall, piercing it like it was made of butter. Upon realizing this, the others watched as the figure was escorted back inside his quarters by the guards that had appeared to clear up the mess.

"We have to save him somehow!" said Eve, causing the others to nod in agreement. As they watched the crowd slowly disperse out of the coliseum, T.K. suddenly thought of an idea.

"I've got a plan. But I definitely will need everyone to cooperate on this!" said T.K. as he gestured for the others to huddle.

-0(-_-)0-

"What do you want?" asked the guard that stood in front of the huge iron gate. In front of the guard stood Toonspider who was dressed in a black leather armor. Beside him stood Eve who looked like a beggar with her clothes having holes and patches sewn everywhere.

"I would like to offer ye a trade." said Toonspider as he gestured at Eve with his left hand. "This young lady 'ere can become quite the entertainment for you. After all, I hear yer lookin' for some fresh 'uns to battle in yer arena! So I'll offer her to ya' for 'bout ten of 'em emeralds. How's that sound?" asked Toonspider in his horrible accent while holding his breath. The guard studied Eve from head to toe before smiling a cruel grin.

"Hey George! Fetch me ten of them emeralds! We've got us another one!" yelled the guard at a man who stood watch behind the gate. The man simply nodded and disappeared into the building. Suddenly, the gate opened and the guard caught the bag of emeralds that George had flung at him. The guard then approached Toonspider and handed him the bag before taking Eve by her shirt and dragging her inside the arena.

_Sorry Eve, _thought Toonspider who tossed the bag of emeralds at a young lad who sat alone in front of his home. The boy's eyes widened upon seeing the contents of the bag and thanked Toonspider before rushing inside his home. Seeing that the young boy was happy, Toonspider walked on towards the makeshift hut that the group had rented. _I hope you'll be okay._

-0(-_-)0-

"Ladies and gents! You are all gathered here to witness another day of glory!" yelled the announcer, causing the whole coliseum to erupt with cheers. "As many of you know," continued the announcer, "Many of our fine warriors had battled it out to test their strength. Many had fallen and it all ended with the victory of our new champion! Will there be anyone who can defeat him and claim his title?" At once, the gates opened up and many of the gladiators entered the battleground.

As many gladiators ran towards the chests filled with weapons on the center of the arena, most of them did not hesitate to kill anyone who got in their way. A dozen men fell in the first ten seconds of the battle. The first man to grab his weapons did not hesitate to finish off his competitions and began hacking at them with his iron axe. However, he was then killed after getting stabbed in the back by an armored figure who finished the former off with a quick upward slash. He then brought his longsword down on one of the men who was about to knock his head off with his golden warhammer. Among those who did not attempt to retrieve the weapons was Eve, who fought off anyone who dared to attack her. She quickly stepped to one side as a man slashed at her with his iron sword, missing her by a few inches. She then brought her fist onto the man's face, which caused an audible crack to be heard. The man slumped unconsciously onto the ground, dropping his sword onto the ground. As Eve took the weapon, she quickly brought the blade to a block as a golden axe clashed with it. The warrior wielding the weapon was a large menacing figure, which reminded her of an iron golem. As he swung his axe down once more, Eve quickly took a step back, causing him to lose his balance and causing him to stagger forward. She then quickly brought the hilt of the blade onto the man's face, which knocked him unconscious. As she was recovering from the fight, she noticed that the crowd was brought to a low gasp as the sounds of battle subsided.

Suddenly, the ground below them shook before a hand came bursting out. The hand, unlike that of an average human's, was huge. It gleamed with a metallic sparkle and seemed to be a powerful force to be reckoned with. However, that wasn't the end of it as not long after came the creature's head, which glared at them with its blood-red eyes. As the creature pulled itself upwards, the crowd began to let out audible gasps as they now knew that the odds had just gotten tougher. Upon seeing the creature, Eve's eyes widened with shock upon recognizing it. Most of the surviving gladiators had witnessed this as well and were slowly retreating towards their quarters, only to find their paths blocked by iron bars. As they turned around to face the threat before them, they cowered as the huge golem let out a menacing roar.

-0(-_-)0-

"What was that?" asked Zeph upon hearing the inhumane roar. T.K, Mod, and Yaro had also stopped digging upon feeling the ground vibrate with a force unlike anything that they had ever felt before.

"I don't like the sound of it. Whatever it is, I hope Eve can make it!" said Mod before he resumed digging away at the dirt before him. After shoveling one last block of dirt, he found what appeared to be a block of a stone brick wall.

"We're here." said Zeph as he began to dig at the wall with his pickaxe. After one last swing, the block crumbled and the group found themselves in a large corridor. Noticing that the whole place was dimly-lit and the iron bars that seemed to be found at every corner, the group stood and surveyed the scene before them.

"I think we found the men's quarters."

-0(-_-)0-

One of the gladiators was sent flying towards the wall, which crushed his spine and killed him upon impact. The others were not faring as well as they began to assault the colossal titan with attacks that would have killed just about anyone. Forgetting that they were fighting for themselves, the fighters worked together in an attempt to bring down the iron golem that easily brought down their numbers with a swing of its arm. One of the gladiators had retrieved an iron warhammer from one of the fallen warriors and was smashing his hammer at the creature's back when the creature felt that he was becoming a nuisance. The titan leapt off the ground, causing the warriors below to stare in astonishment as the creature slowly descended. With its mighty weight and the power of gravity combined, the mighty titan crushed its oppressors down in one go, shattering many weapons in the process. There were now only four gladiators left on the field. Among the survivors were Eve and the armored longsword wielder.

One of the survivors then began to make his move and rushed at the golem armed with a bow and a few arrows. He then shot one of the arrows at the golem, which struck the golem's arm but did nothing to faze it. Before he could reload, he was punched at the gut by the golem and was sent hurtling towards the wall. After witnessing his friend getting killed in that manner, the second survivor quickly grabbed his warhammer and quickly rushed towards the titan. He ducked as the golem swung its arms at him, missing his head by only an inch. The man then smashed the creature's leg, causing it to stagger. However, before he could land a second blow, he was smacked in the face by the golem, which caused most of his teeth to fall out. As he swung his weapon, the colossal titan blocked it with its arm and followed its attack with an uppercut.

Suddenly, the golem stood still, as though it was frozen in place. Its head then fell off its shoulders before being followed by its body. The crown let out a huge cheer as the colossal finally fell beheaded with the man responsible for the deed standing just a few inches behind the fallen titan. As the armored figure listened to their cheers, he turned to face Eve before dashing towards her, his longsword at hand. The crowd let out a huge gasp as they watched the figure dashing to end the young lady's life.

_What's going on? Is he really going to kill me? _thought Eve as she could only stand in horror, watching as the figure came at her with killing intent.

-0(-_-)0-

"Nothing so far?" asked Toonspider as he inspected one of the cells where a crude painting of a black figure stared at him. So far, none of the cells had contained any details that would help them determine the identity of the armored figure.

"None at all." replied T.K. as he exited the last cell.

"What about you, Zeph?" asked Toonpider, only to find the young man gone. "Where did he go?"

"Hey guys! I found something!" yelled Zeph, causing the others to head towards him. Inside the cell that he was in was a neat frame that distinguished itself from the others. His face was set into a face of shock as he stared at the image before him. The young man on the photograph had a ruffled brown hair with Eve's amber eyes. He was smiling while holding a little girl close to him. What caused Zeph's reaction was the image of the girl herself. Her brown hair was tied into a ponytail which was then held in place by a clip that took the form of a rose. She had a mischievous smile about her as she clutched a flint on her hand. The girl herself was Eve and the man who stood holding her was her brother, the Knight of Mooshville, Ryoma. And beside the picture frame was the helmet of the unconscious warrior that the group had met in the woods.

-0(-_-)0-

As Eve prepared herself for the worst, she dropped her blade and stood there. The armored figure stopped in his tracks just a step closer to her before dropping his own weapon. He then hugged her, causing her eyes to widen in surprise.

"It's been a long time, my beloved sister."

-0(-_-)0-

**A/N: And that finishes this chapter! After a month or so of battling the forces of writer's block, I have finally finished writing this chapter and I have triumphed against writer's block. So for all those who had patiently waited for this chapter, I'd like to say thank you for bearing with me and sorry for keeping you waiting. The good news is that I might have enough time to catch up with this story so you might see more chapters blooming in the future. By the way, I am setting up an OC contest for all those Yugioh fans out there! If you want to have a character featured or added in my upcoming story, Yu-Gi-Oh! DA, just PM me with your character's full name, personality, likes, and deck. You don't need to tell me what strategy he/she uses though you are free to do so… Anyways, see you all in the next chapter and again, thank you for waiting this long for this chapter!**


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